v1.9.0

This release adds support for cloud masking Sentinel-2 images with the Cloud Score+ dataset, restores multi-threaded GeoTIFF overview building, and makes a number of other bug fixes and minor updates.

The Cloud Score+ method (cloud-score) is superior to the existing Sentinel-2 mask methods. It has been made the default, and the existing (qa and cloud-prob ) methods deprecated.

Breaking changes:

• Change the default cloud mask method for Sentinel-2 images to cloud-score.

Deprecations

• Deprecate the Sentinel-2 cloud-prob and qa cloud mask methods.

Features:

• Add a Cloud Score+ mask method for Sentinel-2 images (cloud-score).
• Build GeoTIFF overviews with multiple threads.
• Change the BaseImage.date property to be time zone aware.

Fixes:

• Fix the shadow cast direction for the Sentinel-2 cloud-prob and qa cloud mask methods.
• Provide the BaseImage.scale property in meters for all CRSs.
• Allow export of images with positive y-axis geo-transforms on the source pixel grid.
• Fix average resampling to use the minimum scale projection (for e.g. Sentinel-2 images that have bands without fixed projections).

Packaging:

• Increase the minimum required python version to 3.8.
• Pin the Rasterio version for multi-threaded overviews.
• Pin the earthengine-api version to remove the ee.Image.getDownloadUrl() thread lock.

Documentation:

• Update examples to use harmonised Sentinel-2 images and the cloud-score mask method.

Internal changes:

• Remove thread lock on calls to ee.Image.getDownloadUrl() for tile download.
• Download tiles as GeoTIFFs rather than zipped GeoTIFFs.
• Simplify pixel grid maintenance when exporting.
• Update deprecated calls to datetime.utcfromtimestamp().