---
id: pystac-ext-view
version: "1.0.1"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# pystac-ext-view — View extension for PySTAC

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 4.0M/mo

## What it is and what it does

pystac-ext-view is a PySTAC extension package that implements the View Geometry Extension specification (v1.0.0). It provides a structured way to attach observation metadata to geospatial imagery items—specifically off-nadir angle, incidence angle, azimuth, and sun geometry information. This is useful when working with satellite or aerial imagery where the angle and direction of capture matter for analysis or processing.

The package is a thin, focused layer on top of pystac-core that handles serialization and validation of view-related fields according to the STAC specification. You install it alongside PySTAC when your catalog or item processing needs to record or read view geometry metadata. The package version tracks the extension specification version it targets, with post-releases for code updates that don't change the spec version.

Use it for:

- Catalog satellite imagery with off-nadir and incidence angles for quality or processing decisions
- Record sun geometry in STAC items for shadow analysis or radiometric correction workflows
- Build STAC-compliant geospatial metadata pipelines that standardize observation angle capture
- Query or filter imagery collections by viewing geometry constraints in a STAC catalog

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Extends PySTAC with the View Geometry Extension, adding fields to describe observation angles and sun geometry for geospatial imagery data.

Yes, if you are building or consuming STAC catalogs that include satellite or aerial imagery and need to standardize view geometry metadata. The low install friction, active maintenance, permissive license, and zero known vulnerabilities make it a safe choice. Install only if your workflow actually requires view geometry fields; base PySTAC alone is sufficient for simpler use cases.

## Install

pip install pystac-ext-view
uv add pystac-ext-view
poetry add pystac-ext-view

## Installing pystac-ext-view

Before you install: Low friction install with a single runtime dependency on pystac-core. Active maintenance with a recent release and no known vulnerabilities.

License in practice: Apache-2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install pystac-ext-view

import pystac
from pystac_ext_view import ViewExtension

item = pystac.Item(...)
view_ext = ViewExtension.ext(item, add_if_missing=True)
view_ext.off_nadir = angle_value

Requires Python 3.10 or later; pystac-core must be installed as a runtime dependency.

Verify before relying:

- Whether this extension is required for your specific STAC use case or if base PySTAC suffices
- Compatibility with other PySTAC extensions you may need simultaneously
- Specific API methods and parameters for attaching view geometry fields to items

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 4.0M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

stac view geometry extension, pystac observation angle, geospatial metadata view extension, off-nadir angle stac, sun geometry raster metadata, pystac view extension, stac-extension, geospatial-metadata

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/pystac-ext-view) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/pystac-ext-view/)