Open an imagery project

An imagery project can be opened from the imagery projects list. By default, the project opens in the canvas view. The project capabilities determines the available tools. The sections below describe the various project items you'll encounter based on the type of project you're opening and its corresponding resources.

Images from an image service

All imagery projects have an image, a set of images, or imagery layer from which the imagery project was created. The image or images may be available in the supported image focus view based on the type of imagery. If an editable collection layer exists in the project, it will use the metadata from the defined image or images to automatically populate the required attribute fields to associate any collected observations with the current image.

Project instructions

All imagery projects are required to have project instructions, which are directions to help guide you through your image-based task. The project instructions are defined when the project is created and can be viewed at any time while a project is open. To view the project instructions, complete the following steps:

1. In an imagery project, click the more button in the upper right corner of the imagery exploitation canvas.
2. Under Project Tools, click Project Instructions.

   The tools panel dynamically loads with the project instructions.

3. Click the close button, or choose a different tool, to close the project instructions.

Web map with reference layers

Any imagery project can be created to optionally include an existing web map that can contain geospatial reference layers to help provide context for your imagery project.

When you open a project that contains a web map, the web map appears in the map focus panel with the project-specific imagery overlaid on top. If the web map contains reference layers, the layers are overlaid on top of the image in both the map focus panel and the image focus panel. These layers can be toggled on or off, or you can interact with them, to view additional information.

To toggle the reference layers on and off in each view from the Context Layers section in the layer list, complete the following steps:

1. In an imagery project, click Layer List.
2. In the Context Layers section, click the view button to toggle individual map reference layers on or off.
3. Optionally click a feature from the web map in the map focus panel.

   A window appears with details about the corresponding feature.

4. Click the upper right corner to expand or close the window.

Editable collection layers

When you open an imagery project with observation layers, a time slider and set of observation tools are included as part of the imagery project. The time slider and observation tools are directly associated with the editable collection layers that were defined when the project was created.

Note:

The editable collection layer must contain the fields required to create observations.

Time slider

When an imagery project with observation layers is opened, a time slider is available through the Time Slider tab and is tied directly to any observation layers in your project. Each observation layer has a time element that can be utilized to filter the layer using the interactive Time Slider. The initial time extent of the slider has a start date that is set to the oldest dated observation within your observation layers and an end date that goes through the current time you opened the project plus an additional six hours. This will allow you to collect and view observations you make during your current project session.

Note:

If your imagery project contains observation layers with no features, the initial extent of the slider is automatically set to the time you open the project as the start date and adds an additional six hours as the end time. This is common when opening a new observation imagery project that contains new observation layers

Use time intervals or a continuous time line

The time slider will have two handles representing start and end times and by default, will be set to the full extent of the time slider. These handles can be easily adjusted along set intervals to filter your view based on your desired time extent. These set intervals can also be disabled allowing you to move the handles continuously along the time slider. Whether you use time intervals or a continuous timeline, you can easily adjust the time.

To adjust the time:

1. Click to grab the start time handle and drag it along the timeline to the desired start time.
2. Click to grab the end time handle and drag it along the timeline to the desired end time.
3. Click and drag in the middle of the time slider to manually move the desired time extent.
4. To automatically loop through your desired time extent, click:

   • Play to loop through the timeline. You can also click Pause to stop at a desired point in time.

   The observation layer will dynamically update based on the defined start and end time.

5. To manually step through your desired time extent, click:

   • Previous to step back to the previous time interval

   • Next to move forward to the next time interval

   The observation layer will dynamically update based on the defined start and end time.

Show muted effect

There may be times when you want to view all features in your observation layer(s) at one time, but only keep visual focus on the ones within your desired time range. Enabling the Show Muted Effect will fade any features outside your defined time extent and highlight only those features within the defined range.

Disable time filter

If a time filter on your observation layers is not desired, you can easily disable this filter. This will result in viewing all features within your observation layers regardless if they include time information.

Observation tools

In ArcGIS Excalibur, two observation tools are available in an observation imagery project: Create Observations and Create Many Observations. Each tool allows you to choose from a palette of defined icons and interact with the images to collect and record features.

Note:

The symbology and style of the icons in the palette are defined in the hosted feature layer.

To access the observation tools, in an imagery project, click the more button in the upper right corner of the exploitation canvas. The tools appear in their own section in the Project Tools menu. You can expand and collapse each layer to make your list more manageable.

Create Observations tool

To use the Create Observations tool, complete the following steps:

1. In the Project Tools menu, click the Create Observations tool.

   A palette of icons appears in the Tools panel.

   Note:

   A single icon may appear if the underlying editable collection layer is symbolized and styled by a single value.

2. Choose an icon from the palette and click the image.

   The icon appears in the visible focused views. The Tools panel changes from the palette of icons to a form where you can enter information based on the defined attributes of the editable collection layer.

   Note:

   The attributes that appear in the form reflect the attributes in the underlying collection layer. Domains are supported in this view.

3. Click the View Auto-Populated Fields button to see the attribute fields that were automatically populated to associate the collected observation with the current image.

   Note:

   The automatically populated fields are the fields that are required in a feature layer to be supported as an editable collection layer in an observation imagery project.
4. Click Submit when all information has been entered.

   A notification appears in the lower right corner that verifies that the observation was written to the underlying feature layer.

5. Click Cancel to remove the current observation before writing it to the underlying feature layer.
6. To edit or delete an existing observation, ensure that the Create Observation Tool is open, and click directly on the corresponding observation icon on the image.

Create Many Observations tool

The Create Many Observations tool is similar to the Create Observations tool but allows you to batch collect observations of the same type before submitting them to be written to the underlying editable collection layer, saving time during the collection workflow. To use the Create Observations tool, complete the following steps:

1. In the Observation Tools menu, click the Create Many Observations tool.

   A palette of icons appears in the Tools panel.

   Note:

   A single icon may appear if the underlying editable collection layer is symbolized and styled by a single value.

2. Choose an icon from the palette and click the image.

   The icon appears in the visible focused views. The Tools panel changes from a palette of icons to a form where you can enter information based on the defined attributes of the editable collection layer.

   The Number Added total displays 1 as the first observation collected.

3. Click the image again.

   The Number Added total displays 2 as the second observation of the same type collected.

4. Click the image until all observations of the same type have been collected.
5. Enter information based on the defined attributes of the editable collection layer.
6. Click Submit when all information has been entered.

   Note:

   A separate entry for each collected observation is written to the editable collection layer containing the same attribute information. The only difference is the created_date, lasted_edited_date, Observation Collection Time (Local), Observation_LatLon, and ICS_XY (if applicable). These attributes represent the proper information at the moment each observation was made on the image.

   A notification appears in the lower right corner that verifies that the observations were written to the underlying feature layer.

7. Click Cancel to remove the current observation before writing it to the underlying feature layer.