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Sources and Layers

Source and layer controls live in the source tree in the Catalog panel. Use the Explore, Process, and Label lenses to see different parts of each source.

Add imagery to a workspace​

Use one of these entry points:

  • In Catalog, click the import button and choose Upload new data to upload imagery into the workspace.
  • In Catalog, click the import button and choose Add from Files to attach imagery that already exists in Files.
  • In Browse sources, search remote catalogs and import or add remote items.

When imagery is added or duplicated into a workspace, Spectral Explorer creates a visible source row and, when possible, makes a primary RGB or visual layer available so the workspace is not blank.

Source rows​

Source rows are the top-level items in the Catalog tree. A source row shows the source name, thumbnail or icon, location or status details, and the number of child layers.

Common source actions:

  • Click to select the source and open the Inspector.
  • Double-click to focus the canvas on the source.
  • Right-click to open source actions.
  • Drag source rows to reorder them in the workspace.
  • In Inspect, use the radio button to set the reference source.

Source context menus may include Generate analysis, HSI export, Generate inferences, Open parent folder, Explore RGB, retry ingestion, and removal actions depending on the source type and status.

Explore lens​

The Explore lens contains renderable analysis layers for each source. These can include RGB composites, PCA rasters, band math outputs, matched-filter outputs, MTMF outputs, RX anomaly outputs, endmembers, model inference results, and uploaded external results.

Use the visibility controls beside a layer or layer group to show or hide it in the current view. In Map, the layer stack controls what appears on the map. In Inspect, visibility is scoped to the reference source and compatible comparison layers.

Right-click a layer for actions such as Add to layers, Remove from layers, Rename, Send to top, Send to bottom, export, retry reprojection, or delete/remove result bindings. Available actions depend on the selected layer type and whether it is currently renderable.

Process lens​

The Process lens contains processing-oriented source data:

  • Data layers lists the available data products for the image. Select the data layer that should be used by analysis tools, such as raw, radiance, reflectance, emissivity, or temperature.
  • Masks lists imported masks for the source. Masks can be used as filters and can also be displayed as overlays.

Inspector​

Selecting a source, layer, layer group, mask, label, or STAC preview opens the right-side Inspector.

For layers, the Inspector is where you adjust display behavior such as opacity, color map, stretch, RGB/PCA component mapping, classification display, statistics, and result-specific metadata. Prefer the Inspector for display edits.

RGB and color composites​

To create a new RGB or false-color composite, right-click a compatible source or layer and use the analysis menu. Generated composites appear as analysis layers under the source.

To recolor an existing scalar layer, select the layer and use the Inspector display controls. Continuous layers support color maps and range/stretch controls; classification layers use class color controls where applicable.