Introduction
Aurora User Guide
Welcome to Aurora User Guide!
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Table of Contents
OVERVIEW
About Pixxel
Pixxel is a space data company building a constellation of hyperspectral earth imaging satellites and the analytical tools to mine insights from that data. Pixxel’s constellation is designed to provide global coverage every 24 hours and help detect, monitor, and predict global phenomena across agriculture, mining, environment, and energy use cases. Pixxel is on a mission to build a health monitor for the planet through a constellation of cutting-edge hyperspectral small satellites. This unique hyperspectral capability will be the key to unearth underlying, unseen problems that are invisible to satellites in orbit today.
Vision for Aurora
At Pixxel, It’s not enough for us to simply deliver satellite images to users. We believe it’s crucial to provide you with the necessary tools to effectively work with this imagery and other data, enabling you to derive insights seamlessly on a single platform without any hassle. To achieve this objective, we are building Aurora - an all-inclusive platform catering to a wide range of tasks within the remote sensing and geospatial analytics domain. ****The Aurora platform will offer a seamless user experience, empowering individuals and organizations to accomplish various tasks. These tasks include requesting satellite imagery for specific regions, importing and analyzing diverse datasets using advanced analytics and machine learning models, and obtaining valuable insights, alerts, and recommendations. Furthermore, the platform will facilitate tracking actions based on recommendations and monitoring their impact.
Aurora Tour
This tour provides a comprehensive overview of Aurora, highlighting its key features and functionalities.
Quick Start
The Quick Start section is designed to guide new users in rapidly navigating through the initial steps of using Aurora, including account creation, project setup, and image selection.
Login or Create an Account
Getting started with Aurora is a straightforward process, whether you’re a first-time user or returning for more insights. If you have a Google account, you can easily log in to Aurora at https://aurora.pixxel.space/ using your Google credentials, streamlining your access.
To create a new account with your email, simply enter your email address in the designated field. You’ll receive a One-Time Password (OTP) at the provided email address. Once you enter this OTP into Aurora, your account will be activated, allowing you to dive into Aurora’s comprehensive features.
With your account set up, you’re ready to explore the extensive capabilities of Aurora. Start your journey into advanced geospatial analytics today.
Create a project
After logging in, the next step is to set up your project, which is essential for utilizing Aurora’s tools. Navigate to the Projects tab located in the left sidebar. Here, click on Add Project to initiate the creation of a new project.
To create your project, you’ll need to input a ‘Project Title’ and a ‘Project Name (Slug)’. Note that the Project Name can only include numbers, letters, hyphens (-), and underscores (_).
Once you’ve set your project’s title and name, you’re ready to delve into the full suite of Aurora’s functionalities.
Create an AOI (Area of Interest)
Once your project is set up, your next step is to define an Area of Interest (AOI) on the Explore screen. On the Explore screen, locate four buttons on the right-hand side. Start by clicking the Search Places button to find a location of interest. You can search by name or directly input geographical coordinates and also see three of your most recent searches.
Upon locating your desired area on the map, click the Draw AOI button, then proceed to outline your Area of Interest on the map.
Select Images
After drawing the AOI, a list of images will automatically populate, or you can manually search for images using the Search Images button. Set a date range and choose your preferred constellation.
Refine your search using parameters like Cloud Coverage and Off-Nadir Angle. Select the desired images from this list to finalize your AOI.
Analyzing the AOI
With your AOI established, various tools in Aurora facilitate its analysis. On the right-hand side, you will see different buttons. These include:
- AOI Info: Details about your created AOI.
- Visualization Styles: Explore different visualization options like NDVI, NDWI VARI, etc., to examine various characteristics of the AOI.
- Split Compare: Compare two mosaics from different dates using various layers.
- Spectral Signature: Offers spectral graphs for selected points in your AOI.
- Insights: Run Aurora’s analytical models which can provide a quick and detailed analysis of your Area of Interest, like the Land Use Land Cover model, for comprehensive insights.
Creating a workflow
Workflows in Aurora allow you to apply Machine Learning and Statistical Models to your AOI. To create a workflow:
- Select the Workflow ****button on the left sidebar.
- Click New Workflow button on the top right to start.
- Add a Data block on the workflow canvas, selecting an existing or new AOI, followed by a Processing Block containing your chosen models.
- Link the Data block and Processing Block to activate the Model on your AOI.
- Save and run ****the workflow from the bottom of the canvas.
- After the model runs, you can view the output.
USER GUIDE
Guide Overview
Welcome to the Aurora Platform Documentation, an extensive guide crafted to deepen your understanding of the Aurora platform and its multitude of functionalities. This guide is structured to assist users in comprehending the platform’s comprehensive features and how to effectively utilize them to fulfill specific objectives.
The documentation is methodically divided into several key sections: an informative platform overview, an easy-to-follow quick start guide, a detailed user guide, and tailored guidance on selecting images. The platform overview introduces you to the world of Aurora, spotlighting Pixxel’s advanced hyperspectral small satellites and the array of analytical tools available. The quick start guide simplifies your initial journey with Aurora, guiding you through account creation, project initiation, and platform exploration.
This Aurora Platform Documentation is more than just a manual; it’s a gateway to mastering the Aurora platform. By engaging with this guide, you will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to create and manage projects, navigate the platform, and harness its array of analytical tools to extract valuable insights from satellite imagery.
Administration
Sign Up and Log in to Aurora
Welcome to Aurora! Our signup and login process is streamlined for your convenience, offering both Google ID and email-based OTP login options. If you’re excited to leverage Aurora for your organization’s geospatial analysis needs, here’s how to get started:
- Visit Aurora Signup to access the Welcome Screen.
- Choose between Continue with Google or Continue with Email for signup.
- If using Google, simply log in with your account.
- For email signup, provide your email address and use the OTP sent to you to verify.
- If you already have an account on Aurora, you will be directed to Explore Screen but if you want to join an organization or create an organization, please follow the steps provided in the next sections.
Create an Organization
- After verification, you’ll land on the Organizations screen.
- To create a new organization, click on ➕ Create Organization.
- Now, you would be required to fill in the necessary details for your organization setup.
- Organization Name: This will help the people you have invited to join your organization to find the organization. This feature comes in handy when you have multiple organizations on Aurora.
- Organization URL: Create a personalized organization URL to uniquely represent your brand and provide members with a direct and easy-to-remember link to access your organization’s dedicated space. Only numbers, letters, ’-’, and ’_’ are allowed in the Organization URL
- Company Size: Informing us of your organization’s size enables us to tailor the platform experience to your needs. Whether you’re a startup, a mid-sized company, or an enterprise, this information helps us provide features and scalability that align with the dynamics of your business.
- Company Type: Providing your company type allows us to customize features to suit your specific industry needs. Whether you’re in tech, healthcare, or finance, our platform adapts to enhance your organizational workflows, ensuring a tailored and industry-relevant experience.
- Contact Email: This email will be the primary point of contact between team Aurora and the organization owner for organization specific as well as Aurora updates, ensuring as the primary channel for important updates, notifications, and collaboration efforts, ensuring that all members stay informed and engaged.
- On submitting the details, your organization will be created and you will be landed on the explore screen to start your journey.
Join an Organization
- The organization owner needs to send invites to people for them to be able to join the organization.
- Once you have the invite follow the Sign-up process and you’ll get a screen with a list of all the organizations you have been invited to.
- Click Join to become a member or Open to access an already joined organization.
Organization Settings
Organization settings are vital for administrators to customize Aurora according to their unique requirements. This section guides you on adding members, creating teams, and adjusting organization-specific details.
Accessing Settings:
- Find the organization settings via the top left icon on the Aurora screen, symbolizing your organization.
General
This section can be used by only the Organization Owners and Admins. Owners have the rights to Update Org Name, Org URL and Delete ****the organization but the Organization Admin can not Delete the organization. However, organization members do not have permission to access anything on this tab.
Roles in Aurora
Implementing roles enhances security by preventing unauthorized access and limiting sensitive information exposure. It streamlines collaboration with a structured hierarchy and task delegation, ensuring efficient workflow.
The system promotes clear accountability by assigning specific responsibilities to each role, ultimately reducing ambiguity and enhancing overall organizational effectiveness. Here’s how each role contributes to the platform’s effectiveness:
Members
Aurora is a collaborative platform where you can invite your organization members to streamline communication, enhance collaboration, and ensure everyone has access to the relevant information within the organization.
- As the organization owner, navigate to the Members section in your organization settings.
- Use the Invite People ****option to invite individuals by email.
- Input the email addresses of those you wish to invite and assign them specific roles (as previously described). Additionally, you have the option to assign invitees to particular teams during this process.
- Once the members are added, they will have access to the organization’s shared workspace, enabling them to collaborate on and contribute to various projects.
Projects
You can learn more about Projects here.
Teams
An organization has various teams to maintain hierarchy as well as structure in the organization. This structuring can be done on Aurora as well. You can create different teams, assign roles, and add to different projects directly. You can follow the steps:
- Teams can be created by Organization Admin or Organization Owners ****only. To create go to Org Settings.
- Find the Teams ****tab in organization settings and click on the Add Team ****button.
- You’ll be prompted to add a ‘Team Title’ and ‘Team Name’(Slug) to differentiate it from others. Don’t worry you can edit it later, too. Note that the Project Name can only include numbers, letters, hyphens (-), and underscores (_).
- Add the details and click on Create Team.
Adding members to a team:
- Under the Teams ****tab, you will see the list of teams created by you.
- Choose the team to which you want to add members and navigate to the members tab.
- Find the ****Add Member button on the right and click on it.
- You can see a list of your organization members, type the email of the new member you wish to add, and select.
- You can also remove ****a member by clicking on the three dots given on the right side of the member’s name.
Security
This tab helps you whitelist domains so that anyone with an email address at these domains is allowed to sign up for your workspace. You need to invite people from that domain again and again to join your organization. The process is quite simple but a bit technical.
- Go to the Security ****tab inside the organization settings panel.
- Click on the Add Domain button and write your company’s email domain.
- Aurora’s team needs to verify this domain but before that, you need to ask your IT team to “Create a TXT record in your DNS configuration for the hostname” The hostname will be written on the screen.
- Once done, Aurora team will verify the email domain and your co-workers can join your organization directly.
Billing
In this tab, you can view your billing and invoice details and update your billing details.
Plans
Check out the different subscription plans and features offered against each of them here
Explore Images and Create AOIs
Explore Screen (Dashboard) Overview
Once you have created a project, you are free to roam around and try all the features provided by Aurora. Let’s discuss the foremost screen you land on when logging in. As shown below, the Explore screen comprises mainly the world map with a few buttons. Let’s discuss each of these
Search Location
The search leads you to the precise destination from which you can obtain satellite images. You can search for your preferred location by entering the geo-coordinates or by just typing the place’s name in the search bar.
You drag the map by clicking and moving the mouse in any direction to reach your destination. Once you have found the location you want satellite images for, you can close the search bar and move to the next buttons. You can also view some of your recently searched locations.
Draw or Upload AOI (Area of Interest)
Once you have selected your desired location on the map, you must define your area of interest to find relevant satellite imagery and tools. You can use the “Draw AOI” or “Upload AOI” ****buttons as per your requirements. If you already have a shapefile, you can upload it directly. Otherwise, you can draw an AOI polygon through the Draw AOI button.
Search Images
Aurora offers you a variety of image catalogs to select from for better visualization and, thus, analysis. You can click on the “Search Images” button to have a look at available images for the AOI which you have drawn or uploaded. You can find images from Pixxel Constellations as well as some widely used constellations such as Sentinel, MODIS, etc.
Pixxel Images Heat Map
Pixxel satellite constellations provide you with high-end satellite imagery.
Therefore, we have given this option, which helps you locate all the Pixxel satellite images as a heat map view.
Just zoom out the map and the pointers on the explore map will show where you can find Pixxel images. Once you know this, you can draw an AOI over the pin-pointers or just click the pointers to use these images for further analysis.
Map Layer
In Aurora, you can find various map styles which you can explore to improve your visual or practical experience. You get an option to view your explore screens in three map styles. By default, you will see a dark streets map, but you can customize the map style as you like and use it. You will get an option to choose from:
- Streets Map: This is just a physical map showing boundaries and names of locations.
- Satellite Map: This enriched map view shows the geography of all landscapes.
Measure Area
Use this feature to measure the area under a polygon. Click on the Measure Area button, and you will be able to draw a polygon on the map. The minimum number of points to draw a polygon is three. This is a free-hand lasso tool to help you draw better and measure the slightest area. This will help you confirm the area details of a certain location, which can let you plan better.
Navigation Tools
You can find these tools on the bottom right of the screen. These help you locate your cursor on the map as well as help you navigate better on the map.
- Current Location: You can use this button to locate your device’s position on the Map.
- Zoom: The ➕ and ➖ buttons can be used to zoom in and out of the map, respectively.
- Compass: The compass sets the direction of the map to face north, which helps you read the map better.
- Geo-Coordinates: You can find the geo-coordinates of your cursor when you hover it over the map.
Projects in Aurora
We have made Aurora for everyone, but more importantly, for everything in one place. Projects provide better management and traceability of all your work on Aurora. You can collaborate, analyze, and isolate data in a real-time and efficient way.
To create your first project:
- Go to the Projects ****tab on the left sidebar of Aurora’s main screen.
- A screen pop-up will appear, as shown below.
- Click on the Add Project **button to create a new project.
- Afterwards, add a ‘Project Title’ and ‘Project Name’(Slug) to differentiate it from others. Don’t worry you can edit it later, too. Note that the Project Name can only include numbers, letters, hyphens (-), and underscores (_).
- Click on Create Project to start working on your new project.
Adding members to a project:
The main function of creating projects is to manage the work and collaborate on that. Adding members to a project help in collaboration over a project where the project members are able to access the work of that specific project only. To add members to a project follow the instructions below:
- Under the Projects ****tab, you would see the list of projects created by you.
- Choose the Project in which you want to add members and navigate to members tab.
- Find the ****Add Member button on the right and click on it.
- You can see a list of your organization members, type the email of the new member you wish to add and select.
- If you want to add an entire team to the project, click on Add team to project given below the list.
- Make sure you are Project owner or you would not be able to add members.
- You can also remove ****a member by clicking on the three dots given on the right side of member’s name.
Updating or Deleting a project:
As mentioned earlier, you can edit your project details if you are the project owner and apart from that, you can also delete your project if that is not of your use now. Given below are the details on how to update and delete a project:
Updating a Project:
- Navigate to the Projects tab on Aurora’s main screen.
- Select the project you wish to update.
- Change the Project Title and/or Project Name as needed.
- Click Update Project to save the changes.
Deleting a Project:
- Access the Projects tab on Aurora’s main screen.
- Choose the project you intend to delete.
- Click on Delete Project at the bottom of the pop-up.
- We require an extra verification step where you need to type the project name.
- Confirm by clicking Delete this Project. This action is irreversible.
Search Location and Draw/Upload AOI Boundary
Area of interest refers to a polygon of vector file format encompassing the area of remote sensing image relevant to a user. You draw an AOI boundary (Area of interest) to show interest in the area covered by this polygon and its properties.
The Area of Interest (AOI) is a crucial concept in Aurora, representing a specific geographic area in a vector file format like GeoJSON or .SHP. Your work in Aurora, from selecting satellite images to running analytical models, revolves around the AOI you define. AOI boundary creation would be the first step. Let us understand how to draw, upload, and use an AOI boundary.
Search Location and Draw an AOI
Aurora allows you to draw an AOI boundary or upload an AOI boundary. As per universal standards, an AOI polygon can be of any shape, but we support only quadrilateral (square or rectangle) for drawing. Later versions will introduce tools to draw an AOI boundary in different shapes.
- Search a location as per your requirement to create an area of interest boundary on the Explore Screen
- On Explore, a “Draw AOI” button is in the top right corner. Click on it.
- Start drawing the AOI boundary by clicking a point on the map.
- Now, you can see the diagonally opposite point moving along with your cursor.
- You can left-click and drop the diagonally opposite point to draw a square or rectangle based on how you want your final AOI boundary.
Upload an AOI
You can effortlessly migrate your already drawn AOI polygon file from any other software to Aurora. We offer support to all the major vector file formats such as GeoJSON, SHP, KML and GPKG. Uploading an AOI boundary supports all types of polygon files, given that they are continuous.
Before we learn how to upload an AOI boundary, ensure you have the AOI vector file on the computer.
- To upload an AOI, you need to go to Explore Screen.
- On Explore, a “Upload AOI” button is in the top right corner. Click on it.
- A dialogue box will open on your screen. Navigate to the file location and select the file you wish to upload.
- You will see the AOI polygon on the explore map if the file is uploaded successfully.
After drawing or uploading an AOI boundary, you can see the area covered by the AOI polygon and its centroid at the bottom of the screen. After finishing the steps above, you can select the images from different satellite constellations to finalize the AOI.
You can always access any AOIs in your current project through the AOI tab on the left sidebar. It will show you a list of AOIs you and your project members created.
Search and Select Images
As soon as you are done drawing or uploading the AOI vector file, you will be redirected to the “Search Image” panel. You can find images from all the satellite constellations available on Aurora. Apart from Pixxel D2 and Shakuntala**,** we support Sentinel, MODIS, and Hyperion constellations for image catalogues. You can browse all the images that cover your AOI fully or partially (depending on the area and geolocation of your AOI.) You will also find a filters panel right next to “Search Images”, which will help you select images according to your needs. Follow the steps below to understand Image selection for AOI creation.
Set Date Range
Hundreds of images are captured through various satellites weekly, and we catalog them all on our platform. The “Set Date Range” filter helps you narrow your image search to the desired time. Although, you will find the latest images shown to you by default. Please note that you might not find the image captured yesterday on Aurora because images are processed before they are ready to consume. Hence, it takes an average of 7-10 days for images to appear on Aurora. To set the date range, click on the Start Date and End Date columns to view a calendar dropdown in order to select dates.
Every satellite/constellation has different revisit frequency and different capture time for various parts of the Earth. Therefore, it is possible that you may not be able to find images for a given AOI boundary for a specific date for the selected satellite. You can either try changing the date or try to find images from some other satellite/constellation.
Set Constellation
Space is huge, but mankind has sent hundreds of satellites to bring it closer. Pixxel has also played its part by sending advanced satellites to offer Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI), namely, Pixxel-D2 and Shakuntala.
You can access images from all the Pixxel Satellites at Aurora, along with multispectral images offered by other space programs. These space programs include Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, MODIS, and Hyperion.
Under the set constellation, you will find a list of all the constellations whose images can be found on Aurora. You can select multiple constellations simultaneously, but you can not choose images from multiple constellations to create an AOI. Aurora provides the images from all the constellations in the L2A data level.
Satellite Data
The following table details the satellite imagery available on Aurora along with details
Set Image Filters
Remote sensing images have various parameters, which may sometimes be unwanted and other times wanted specifically for different use cases. You can filter out these parameters on Aurora. Each image filter is explained below:
- Cloud Coverage: If you want to analyze an image captured with a resolution much less than what we see on our mobile phones, it better not be cloudy. You will find images for a specific area covered by clouds, often for a specific time range due to the climate there. Hence, it becomes important to segregate the images. You can use the cloud coverage filter to specify the maximum and minimum cloud cover to remove the images you may not use. We suggest keeping cloud cover less than 20% to get good clarity.
- Spatial Resolution (GSD): Spatial resolution in remote sensing is the level of detail or the smallest discernible feature on the Earth’s surface that can be captured by a remote sensing system, typically expressed in terms of meters per pixel or the size of the smallest identifiable object in an image.
Choosing Images
Choosing the right images for your AOI boundary will help you get the best results. Once you have drawn the AOI boundary, chosen the dates & constellations that suit your needs, and filtered out the best images, you can now select any image to analyze the AOI.
- While selecting images, you can hover over any image to check its boundaries on the map.
- Once you select it, the image raster file will load on the map. This image may or may not cover the whole area inside the AOI boundary.
- Keep selecting other images from the same date or any other to load the full AOI. Don’t worry! we will mosaic these images for you.
- The image selected at the latest will be shown at the top of the one selected earlier for better visualization.
- You can select as many images as possible and from as many dates as possible.
- Once you are done, click on the “Create AOI” button.
Later on, when you have created the AOI, you will get the mosaic of each date selected while choosing the images.
When you see images listed in the Search Image panel, you will see options to sort the images from latest to oldest and vice versa. During this process, you will see various icons and text. Refer the image to know the meaning of each icon in an image card or list view.
View More Info: It allows you to know more information about the image such as satellite name and no. of bands.
AOI Info and Assets
After creating an AOI (Area of Interest), you will be directed to the AOI screen, where there are numerous things we have made for you. Additionally, a background process of asset generation ****runs, and you can track its progress in the activities tab. Once the asset generation process is complete, you will be able to access the AOI along with other features. The AOI Screen will look something like the image below:
Let’s discuss each button and feature on the AOI screen.
AOI info
The AOI info tab will provide all the basic to advanced information required to understand the AOI. It will tell you everything, from the number of tiles to the date range you selected to create AOI. You can refer to this section if you either want a quick summary ****of AOI details or want to download the AOI boundary (GeoJSON format).
Scenes
This is the go-to place if you want to download the assets that are being used in the AOI analysis. You can find all the mosaics created for each date separately and by clicking on a particular scene, you can visualize that mosaic on the AOI.
Additionally, these mosaics can be downloaded in the .geotiff format by simply clicking on the download button on each mosaic.
Scene Info: These are additional details like AOI coverage, Center, Bands, etc that can be useful to know more about the AOI.
The images you select while creating an AOI are called tiles. If the AOI is large, it will overlap on the multiple tiles captured on the same date. The mosaic is created from the overlapping tiles of the same date from the user-selected tiles, mosaiced into a single image. The purpose of creating this mosaic is to enhance your experience while performing analysis by making it easier to visualize and analyze the data collectively.
Analytics Tools
Visualizations: Bands, Composite Bands and Indices
Visualization Styles
Remote sensing satellites capture a number of layers for a single image. In hyperspectral imaging, layers can represent different spectral bands or wavelengths. Each layer corresponds to a specific range of electromagnetic radiation. For example, one layer could capture data in the visible light spectrum, another in the near-infrared, and so on. These layers help build a comprehensive view of the scene being observed. Researchers can identify specific materials, vegetation health, pollution levels, and more by analyzing the data in different layers.
The visualization tab helps you trace these layers through various spectral bands, indices, and composite bands. Learning the meaning behind visualization will help you analyze your AOI better. Following are the various types of visual styles available for an AOI.
- Indices
- Preset Indices
- Custom Indices
- Composite bands
- Single Bands
Preset Indices, Custom Indices and Bands
Indices
In geospatial analytics, a spectral index is a calculated numerical value derived from the measurements of electromagnetic radiation across specific wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, often captured by remote sensing instruments. In simpler terms, you can use a spectral index to derive valuable information by the ratio of broadband spectral bands or by applying mathematical operations on available bands. Aurora offers you with two types of indices:
Preset Indices:
You can use the preset indices, which are pretty common in geospatial studies. A few examples are NDVI, NDWI, VARI, etc. All these presets have different uses and outputs. One of the commonly used preset indices, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), measures how green and healthy the vegetation is on the Earth’s surface. It is calculated by comparing the amount of near-infrared light (which plants reflect strongly) and red light (which plants absorb) that is reflected by the land cover. NDVI values range from -1 to +1, where higher values indicate more green and dense vegetation and lower values indicate less or no vegetation.
Refer to the List of Available Preset Indices here.
Custom Indices:
You can create your own custom indices for specific use. Aurora gives you the freedom to experiment or customize how you use the spectral data. You can create any formulations of the bands as per your requirement and visualize the same while tempering with Rescale value at the same time.
Follow the below steps to create a custom index.
Note: The custom indices created will be created on the organization level i.e. anyone in your organization can access the index created and saved by you in your AOI.
Composite Bands
In Aurora, composite bands play a crucial role in image analysis. True composite bands traditionally combine B04, B03, and B02 bands to form an RGB composite, resulting in imagery that closely mirrors natural colors as perceived by the human eye. However, you have the flexibility to create false composite bands by altering this standard combination.
For instance, replacing the B04 (red) band with B06 in the RGB set modifies the composite’s visual output, unveiling different aspects of the image. A notable application of false composites is the Near-Infrared Composite, which employs a [B02, B03, B04] combination in RGB. This approach uniquely highlights vegetation in red rather than its typical green, providing valuable insights into vegetation health and distribution. Such customizations in composite bands allow for tailored analysis based on specific research or monitoring needs.
Bands
Apart from indices and setting composite bands, you can view all the bands captured in the satellite image one by one. Each band visualization provides the spatial distribution of spectral information in the image.
Saving Layers
As discussed till now, all the bands, composite bands, and indices, whether preset or custom, are nothing other than a layer or combination of layers forming another layer**.** These layers can be used as a source for further analysis.
Preset indices: When you create any preset index, it is automatically saved and can be accessed in the Visualization tab only
Custom Index/bands: You can save your custom index/bands while creating the index/bands by providing that layer with a name of your choice. These saved layers can be found under the Custom tab in Visualizations.
Indices Available on Aurora
Split Compare
Split comparison is a widely used feature in geospatial analysis. As you might have understood from the name, this feature helps you compare two raster files in a split view. You need at least two date mosaics created in the current AOI to split compare. You will be given the option to choose the mosaic on the left and right-hand side of the split view. To make it more useful, Aurora provides you with an option to choose between visualization styles of raster on each side of the slider. Let’s try this out:
- Go to an AOI containing images from two different dates.
- Once you reach there, go to the Split Compare ****button on the right-hand side of the screen and click on it.
- You will find a list of already created visualizations, if no visualization is present, you need to create the visualization by clicking on the + Add Visualization button
- Select a visualization and you’ll see a raster with a slider along with the date select option below on each side of the slider.
- Select the dates you want to split and compare from the dates dropdown.
- After selecting the dates, you can change the visualization style of both sides of the slider in the visualization panel on each side.
- Now, you can use the slider to compare the changes in both dates.
Spectral Signature
Spectral Graph: In multispectral or hyperspectral imagery, each pixel contains information from multiple bands across the electromagnetic spectrum. Plotting these pixel values for a selected location or the mean of the pixel values for a selected area across these bands is referred to as a spectral graph. It helps to understand how the pixel characteristics vary across the bands. These spectral graphs are also used to compare the different pixels’ spectral characteristics in the AOI.
You can choose multiple points to create and compare spectral graphs of those points. Just click on the + Add button to create additional points. These graphs can be exported in CSV and JSON format.
Analytical Models
Insights in Aurora (AOI Screen)
This feature helps you generate instant insights for the given AOI. The objective of the insights function, despite having workflows, is to experiment and analyze the data quickly, whereas workflows follow a more detailed approach. You can create one insight for each model for the given AOI. But soon, you will be able to create multiple insights to enhance the process of experimentation. Keep an eye on the insights tab if you don’t want to miss the updates.
The insights feature helps to use analytical models on the current AOI on the go. Follow these simple steps to generate insights from a specific model:
- Choose an already Created AOI or Create a new AOI and click on the Insights ****button.
- You’ll see all the previously generated insights here if you have any. If not, click on the Create Insight button.
- There will be a list of models available to create insights.
- Click on the Run button to generate the model insight.
- You can download the created insights easily by clicking on the “Download” button.
- The model may require some input from the user end to generate the output.
Model Marketplace
Aurora provides you with a lot of Machine Learning and Statistics Models to use for deriving valuable information from an AOI. Model Marketplace is a one-stop solution to find all the models available and the necessary details of each model.
List of Models Available
Workflows
Workflow and Jobs
Aurora provides you with satellite images and helps you analyze those images in real-time. The workflow section lets you play around and derive all the necessary information from an AOI through various in-house machine learning and statistical models. Let’s understand what it exactly is.
Workflow:
As the name suggests, workflow refers to a structured sequence of activities that can be created and managed within the platform. Workflows in Aurora are meant to automate the process of data extraction and analysis by visually designing an efficient process using data and processing blocks.
Data Blocks:
Data blocks represent the input data or information that is required for the workflow. This includes the AOI you created comprising images selected and the AOI boundary. Data blocks serve as the starting point for the workflow, providing the initial dataset on which the workflow’s operations will be performed.
The data block (AOI block) provides two outputs: Raster and Vector, depending on the input required for the next node, the right output should be chosen.
Processing Blocks:
Processing blocks represent the operations or tasks that are to be applied to the input data. These operations include all the models and tools offered by Aurora. Processing blocks define the sequence of actions to be taken on the input data. They determine how the data is modified, analyzed, or processed within the workflow.
Jobs:
Workflows are run to produce output where each instance when the workflow is run is called a Job. Jobs help you run the workflows repeatedly, eliminating the need to create the same workflow for each data block or processing block. Jobs are further divided into two tabs: Overview and Insights. As the name suggests, “Overview” tells you about the workflow you created and Insights showcases the results generated from the workflow.
Assuming you have not created any workflows yet, please follow the process given below to create a new workflow:
- Workflow Interface: You can access the workflow section by clicking on the workflow button on the side navbar. Click on the New Workflow ****button to create a workflow and provide a name for your workflow.
- Starting with an Empty Canvas: When initiating the workflow creation process, you will find a blank workspace called a canvas. This canvas is where the workflow is constructed.
- Selecting Data and Processing Blocks: Users interact with a node table that contains data blocks and processing blocks. Data blocks represent input data (AOI), while processing blocks (Models) symbolize operations to be applied to the data.
- Placing Blocks on the Canvas: Users select data and processing blocks from the node table and drag them onto the canvas. This action populates the canvas with the necessary components for the workflow.
- Connecting Blocks: To establish the order of operations, users connect the data and processing blocks on the canvas by drawing lines or connectors between them. These connections determine how data flows from one block to another.
- Customizing and Configuring: Users can customize and configure each block on the canvas, specifying parameters and settings to meet the workflow’s specific requirements.
- Execution: Once you are done with connecting and configuring, you must save the workflow to run the job on the workflow. Click on the “Run” icon to run a job on the selected workflow.
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