Skip to main content

Creating Clip Geometry in QGIS

This guide outlines the step-by-step process for creating a Clip Geometry shapefile using QGIS. This shapefile can be used in TytonAI to define the boundary for raster imagery deployment.

Overview​

When uploading imagery into TytonAI, a Clip Geometry is required to define the spatial boundary for your image deployment. This boundary ensures that only the area within the defined shape is processed and analysed. The Clip Geometry must be provided as a polygon shapefile compressed into a .zip file before uploading. This guide walks you through how to create that shapefile using QGIS.

Pre-requisites​

  • QGIS installed on your machine
  • Relevant raster files loaded into your QGIS project

Step-by-Step Instructions​

1. Load Raster Imagery​

  • Open QGIS.
  • Drag and drop your .tif raster files into the Layers panel.

2. Create a New Shapefile Layer​

  1. Go to the top menu and click:
    Layer > Create Layer > New Shapefile Layer...

  2. In the dialog box:

    • File name: Choose a location and name for your shapefile
    • Geometry type: Select Polygon
    • CRS (Coordinate Reference System): Set to your project-specific CRS (for example EPSG:4326 - WGS 84)
    • New field: (Optional) Add a field such as:
      • Name: id
      • Type: Integer

  3. Click OK to create the new shapefile layer.

3. Start Editing the Shapefile​

  1. In the Layers panel, right-click your new shapefile and select Toggle Editing.
  2. Click the Add Polygon Feature button from the toolbar.
  3. Draw a polygon that tightly follows the extent of your imagery.
  4. Get as close as possible to the imagery boundaries, but do not extend beyond the edge of the imagery tile.
  5. Begin clicking points on the map to outline your area of interest.
  6. Right-click to complete the polygon.
  7. Enter an ID or attribute value if prompted, then click OK.

⚠️ Warning: When creating your shapefile (clipped geometry), ensure that the boundary aligns exactly with the extent of the imagery. The shapefile must not extend beyond the image bounds—doing so will result in an upload failure within TytonAI. For best results, clip your shapefile to the exact dimensions of the imagery tile.

4. Save and Finish​

  1. Click Toggle Editing again to stop editing.
  2. When prompted, click Save Changes.

5. Zip the Shapefile for TytonAI​

  • Locate the generated .shp, .shx, .dbf, .cph and .prj files in your file explorer.
  • Select all the files and compress them into a .zip archive (e.g. aoi.zip).
Tip
  • The .zip file format is the only format accepted by TytonAI for Clip Geometry uploads.
  • Ensure the polygon covers the precise area where you want to deploy or analyse imagery.