@@ -205,6 +205,16 @@ class QgsRasterBlock
      */
     QByteArray data() const;
 
+    /** Rewrite raw pixel data.
+     * If the data array is shorter than the internal array within the raster block object,
+     * pixels at the end will stay untouched. If the data array is longer than the internal
+     * array, only the initial data from the input array will be used.
+     * Optionally it is possible to set non-zero offset (in bytes) if the input data should
+     * overwrite data somewhere in the middle of the internal buffer.
+     * @note added in QGIS 3.0
+     */
+    void setData( const QByteArray& data, int offset = 0 );
+
     /** \brief Get pointer to data
      *  @param row row index
      *  @param column column index
 
@@ -233,10 +233,44 @@ class QgsRasterDataProvider : QgsDataProvider, QgsRasterInterface
     /** Current time stamp of data source */
     virtual QDateTime dataTimestamp() const;
 
+    /** Checks whether the provider is in editing mode, i.e. raster write operations will be accepted.
+     * By default providers are not editable. Use setEditable() method to enable/disable editing.
+     * @see setEditable(), writeBlock()
+     * @note added in QGIS 3.0
+     */
+    virtual bool isEditable() const;
+
+    /** Turns on/off editing mode of the provider. When in editing mode, it is possible
+     * to overwrite data of the provider using writeBlock() calls.
+     * @note Only some providers support editing mode and even those may fail to turn turn
+     * the underlying data source into editing mode, so it is necessery to check afterwards
+     * with isEditable() whether the operation was successful.
+     * @see isEditable(), writeBlock()
+     * @note added in QGIS 3.0
+     */
+    virtual void setEditable( bool enabled );
+
     /** Writes into the provider datasource*/
     // TODO: add data type (may be defferent from band type)
     virtual bool write( void* data, int band, int width, int height, int xOffset, int yOffset );
 
+    /** Writes pixel data from a raster block into the provider data source.
+     *
+     * This will override previously stored pixel values. It is assumed that cells in the passed
+     * raster block are aligned with the cells of the data source. If raster block does not cover
+     * the whole area of the data source, only a subset of pixels covered by the raster block
+     * will be overwritten. By default, writing of raster data starts from the first cell
+     * of the raster - it is possible to set offset in pixels by specifying non-zero
+     * xOffset and yOffset values.
+     *
+     * Writing is supported only by some data providers. Provider has to be in editing mode
+     * in order to allow write operations.
+     * @see isEditable(), setEditable()
+     * @returns true on success
+     * @note added in QGIS 3.0
+     */
+    bool writeBlock( QgsRasterBlock* block, int band, int xOffset = 0, int yOffset = 0 );
+
     /** Creates a new dataset with mDataSourceURI */
     static QgsRasterDataProvider* create( const QString &providerKey,
                                           const QString &uri,
 
@@ -653,6 +653,23 @@ QByteArray QgsRasterBlock::data() const
     return QByteArray();
 }
 
+void QgsRasterBlock::setData( const QByteArray& data, int offset )
+{
+  if ( offset < 0 )
+    return;  // negative offsets not allowed
+
+  if ( mData )
+  {
+    int len = qMin( data.size(), typeSize( mDataType ) * mWidth * mHeight - offset );
+    ::memcpy( static_cast<char *>( mData ) + offset, data.constData(), len );
+  }
+  else if ( mImage && mImage->constBits() )
+  {
+    int len = qMin( data.size(), mImage->byteCount() - offset );
+    ::memcpy( mImage->bits() + offset, data.constData(), len );
+  }
+}
+
 char * QgsRasterBlock::bits( qgssize index )
 {
   // Not testing type to avoid too much overhead because this method is called per pixel
 
@@ -270,6 +270,16 @@ class CORE_EXPORT QgsRasterBlock
      */
     QByteArray data() const;
 
+    /** Rewrite raw pixel data.
+     * If the data array is shorter than the internal array within the raster block object,
+     * pixels at the end will stay untouched. If the data array is longer than the internal
+     * array, only the initial data from the input array will be used.
+     * Optionally it is possible to set non-zero offset (in bytes) if the input data should
+     * overwrite data somewhere in the middle of the internal buffer.
+     * @note added in QGIS 3.0
+     */
+    void setData( const QByteArray& data, int offset = 0 );
+
     /** \brief Get pointer to data
      *  @param row row index
      *  @param column column index
 
@@ -339,6 +339,18 @@ QString QgsRasterDataProvider::lastErrorFormat()
   return QStringLiteral( "text/plain" );
 }
 
+bool QgsRasterDataProvider::writeBlock( QgsRasterBlock* block, int band, int xOffset, int yOffset )
+{
+  if ( !block )
+    return false;
+  if ( !isEditable() )
+  {
+    QgsDebugMsg( "writeBlock() called on read-only provider." );
+    return false;
+  }
+  return write( block->bits(), band, block->width(), block->height(), xOffset, yOffset );
+}
+
 typedef QList<QPair<QString, QString> > *pyramidResamplingMethods_t();
 QList<QPair<QString, QString> > QgsRasterDataProvider::pyramidResamplingMethods( const QString& providerKey )
 {
 
@@ -351,6 +351,23 @@ class CORE_EXPORT QgsRasterDataProvider : public QgsDataProvider, public QgsRast
     //! Current time stamp of data source
     virtual QDateTime dataTimestamp() const override { return QDateTime(); }
 
+    /** Checks whether the provider is in editing mode, i.e. raster write operations will be accepted.
+     * By default providers are not editable. Use setEditable() method to enable/disable editing.
+     * @see setEditable(), writeBlock()
+     * @note added in QGIS 3.0
+     */
+    virtual bool isEditable() const { return false; }
+
+    /** Turns on/off editing mode of the provider. When in editing mode, it is possible
+     * to overwrite data of the provider using writeBlock() calls.
+     * @note Only some providers support editing mode and even those may fail to turn turn
+     * the underlying data source into editing mode, so it is necessery to check afterwards
+     * with isEditable() whether the operation was successful.
+     * @see isEditable(), writeBlock()
+     * @note added in QGIS 3.0
+     */
+    virtual void setEditable( bool enabled ) { Q_UNUSED( enabled ); }
+
     //! Writes into the provider datasource
     // TODO: add data type (may be defferent from band type)
     virtual bool write( void* data, int band, int width, int height, int xOffset, int yOffset )
@@ -364,6 +381,23 @@ class CORE_EXPORT QgsRasterDataProvider : public QgsDataProvider, public QgsRast
       return false;
     }
 
+    /** Writes pixel data from a raster block into the provider data source.
+     *
+     * This will override previously stored pixel values. It is assumed that cells in the passed
+     * raster block are aligned with the cells of the data source. If raster block does not cover
+     * the whole area of the data source, only a subset of pixels covered by the raster block
+     * will be overwritten. By default, writing of raster data starts from the first cell
+     * of the raster - it is possible to set offset in pixels by specifying non-zero
+     * xOffset and yOffset values.
+     *
+     * Writing is supported only by some data providers. Provider has to be in editing mode
+     * in order to allow write operations.
+     * @see isEditable(), setEditable()
+     * @returns true on success
+     * @note added in QGIS 3.0
+     */
+    bool writeBlock( QgsRasterBlock* block, int band, int xOffset = 0, int yOffset = 0 );
+
     //! Creates a new dataset with mDataSourceURI
     static QgsRasterDataProvider* create( const QString &providerKey,
                                           const QString &uri,
 
@@ -2928,6 +2928,40 @@ QString QgsGdalProvider::validatePyramidsConfigOptions( QgsRaster::RasterPyramid
   return QString();
 }
 
+bool QgsGdalProvider::isEditable() const
+{
+  return mUpdate;
+}
+
+void QgsGdalProvider::setEditable( bool enabled )
+{
+  if ( enabled == mUpdate )
+    return;
+
+  if ( !mValid )
+    return;
+
+  if ( mGdalDataset != mGdalBaseDataset )
+    return;  // ignore the case of warped VRT for now (more complicated setup)
+
+  closeDataset();
+
+  mUpdate = enabled;
+
+  // reopen the dataset
+  mGdalBaseDataset = gdalOpen( dataSourceUri().toUtf8().constData(), mUpdate ? GA_Update : GA_ReadOnly );
+  if ( !mGdalBaseDataset )
+  {
+    QString msg = QStringLiteral( "Cannot reopen GDAL dataset %1:\n%2" ).arg( dataSourceUri(), QString::fromUtf8( CPLGetLastErrorMsg() ) );
+    appendError( ERRMSG( msg ) );
+    return;
+  }
+
+  //Since we are not a virtual warped dataset, mGdalDataSet and mGdalBaseDataset are supposed to be the same
+  mGdalDataset = mGdalBaseDataset;
+  mValid = true;
+}
+
 // pyramids resampling
 
 // see http://www.gdal.org/gdaladdo.html
 
@@ -148,14 +148,16 @@ class QgsGdalProvider : public QgsRasterDataProvider, QgsGdalProviderBase
 
     static QMap<QString, QString> supportedMimes();
 
+    bool isEditable() const override;
+    void setEditable( bool enabled ) override;
     bool write( void* data, int band, int width, int height, int xOffset, int yOffset ) override;
+
     bool setNoDataValue( int bandNo, double noDataValue ) override;
     bool remove() override;
 
     QString validateCreationOptions( const QStringList& createOptions, const QString& format ) override;
     QString validatePyramidsConfigOptions( QgsRaster::RasterPyramidsFormat pyramidsFormat,
                                            const QStringList & theConfigOptions, const QString & fileFormat ) override;
-
   private:
     // update mode
     bool mUpdate;
 
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include "qgstest.h"
 #include <QObject>
 #include <QString>
+#include <QTemporaryFile>
 
 #include "qgsrasterlayer.h"
 #include "qgsrasterdataprovider.h"
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ class TestQgsRasterBlock : public QObject
     void cleanup() {} // will be called after every testfunction.
 
     void testBasic();
+    void testWrite();
 
   private:
 
@@ -116,6 +118,95 @@ void TestQgsRasterBlock::testBasic()
   QCOMPARE( data.at( 1 ), ( char ) 5 );
   QCOMPARE( data.at( 10 ), ( char ) 27 );
 
+  // setData()
+  QByteArray newData( "\xaa\xbb\xcc\xdd" );
+  block->setData( newData, 1 );
+  QByteArray data2 = block->data();
+  QCOMPARE( data2.at( 0 ), ( char ) 2 );
+  QCOMPARE( data2.at( 1 ), '\xaa' );
+  QCOMPARE( data2.at( 2 ), '\xbb' );
+  QCOMPARE( data2.at( 10 ), ( char ) 27 );
+
+  delete block;
+}
+
+void TestQgsRasterBlock::testWrite()
+{
+  QgsRectangle extent = mpRasterLayer->extent();
+  int nCols = mpRasterLayer->width(), nRows = mpRasterLayer->height();
+  double tform[] =
+  {
+    extent.xMinimum(), extent.width() / nCols, 0.0,
+    extent.yMaximum(), 0.0, -extent.height() / nRows
+  };
+
+  // generate unique filename (need to open the file first to generate it)
+  QTemporaryFile tmpFile;
+  tmpFile.open();
+  tmpFile.close();
+
+  // create a GeoTIFF - this will create data provider in editable mode
+  QString filename = tmpFile.fileName();
+  QgsRasterDataProvider* dp = QgsRasterDataProvider::create( "gdal", filename, "GTiff", 1, Qgis::Byte, 10, 10, tform, mpRasterLayer->crs() );
+
+  QgsRasterBlock* block = mpRasterLayer->dataProvider()->block( 1, mpRasterLayer->extent(), mpRasterLayer->width(), mpRasterLayer->height() );
+
+  QByteArray origData = block->data();
+  origData.detach();  // make sure we have private copy independent from independent block content
+  QCOMPARE( origData.at( 0 ), ( char ) 2 );
+  QCOMPARE( origData.at( 1 ), ( char ) 5 );
+
+  // change first two pixels
+  block->setData( QByteArray( "\xa0\xa1" ) );
+  bool res = dp->writeBlock( block, 1 );
+  QVERIFY( res );
+
+  QgsRasterBlock* block2 = dp->block( 1, mpRasterLayer->extent(), mpRasterLayer->width(), mpRasterLayer->height() );
+  QByteArray newData2 = block2->data();
+  QCOMPARE( newData2.at( 0 ), '\xa0' );
+  QCOMPARE( newData2.at( 1 ), '\xa1' );
+
+  delete block2;
+  delete dp;
+
+  // newly open raster and verify the write was permanent
+  QgsRasterLayer* rlayer = new QgsRasterLayer( filename, "tmp", "gdal" );
+  QVERIFY( rlayer->isValid() );
+  QgsRasterBlock* block3 = rlayer->dataProvider()->block( 1, rlayer->extent(), rlayer->width(), rlayer->height() );
+  QByteArray newData3 = block3->data();
+  QCOMPARE( newData3.at( 0 ), '\xa0' );
+  QCOMPARE( newData3.at( 1 ), '\xa1' );
+
+  QgsRasterBlock* block4 = new QgsRasterBlock( Qgis::Byte, 1, 2 );
+  block4->setData( QByteArray( "\xb0\xb1" ) );
+
+  // cannot write when provider is not editable
+  res = rlayer->dataProvider()->writeBlock( block4, 1 );
+  QVERIFY( !res );
+
+  // make the provider editable
+  QVERIFY( !rlayer->dataProvider()->isEditable() );
+  rlayer->dataProvider()->setEditable( true );
+  QVERIFY( rlayer->dataProvider()->isEditable() );
+
+  res = rlayer->dataProvider()->writeBlock( block4, 1 );
+  QVERIFY( res );
+
+  rlayer->dataProvider()->setEditable( false );
+  QVERIFY( !rlayer->dataProvider()->isEditable() );
+
+  // verify the change is there
+  QgsRasterBlock* block5 = rlayer->dataProvider()->block( 1, rlayer->extent(), rlayer->width(), rlayer->height() );
+  QByteArray newData5 = block5->data();
+  QCOMPARE( newData5.at( 0 ), '\xb0' );
+  QCOMPARE( newData5.at( 1 ), '\xa1' ); // original data
+  QCOMPARE( newData5.at( 10 ), '\xb1' );
+
+  delete block3;
+  delete block4;
+  delete block5;
+  delete rlayer;
+
   delete block;
 }