Use search and discover

Using the search functionality, you can perform an interactive search and selection of available imagery and video from an enterprise web service. You can also set search settings, preview imagery, view image metadata, and queue images and videos for further use.

Access Search and Discover

You can access Search and Discover from the following in ArcGIS Excalibur:

  • On the ArcGIS Excalibur home page, click Find Through: Search and Discover.
  • From anywhere in the application, click Search in the side menu.

Once the Search and Discover page is open, connect to an active layer to begin your search experience.

Select an active layer

Before performing a search, an active layer must be set. A list of layers is available in the Collections panel located at the top of the search map. You can also use the Browse button to browse available layer collections to perform search and discovery if no layers have been connected yet.

To select an active layer, complete the following steps:

  1. Click Browse or Collections to open the Browse Collections panel.

    The Browse Collections panel opens with the Layers tab open by default.

  2. Switch to the Saved tab to view any saved search layers or the Add from Web tab to connect to a layer via URL.

    The Layers tab displays all available layers within your organization that you can use for search and discovery.

  3. On the Layers tab, search for a specific layer using the search bar at the top of the layer list.

    The list dynamically changes based on the text entered.

  4. Click Search to filter the list based on the name of the layer you entered or clear the search text to display all the layers again.
  5. Connect to a layer from the Layers tab or the Add from Web tab by clicking the search button.

You can change the connected active layer at any time by following steps 1-4 again. Any existing results and filters will be reset when a new layer has been selected. You can also save the current connected layer so it will appear on the Saved tab in the Browse Collections panel by clicking the star next to the service name at the top of the page.

Once an active layer is set, you can search for imagery or video within your organization as described below.

Search by map extent

You can search on the active layer using your current map extent.

  1. Pan and zoom to an area of interest in the map.

    Note:

    The default basemap and map extent can be set in My Settings.

  2. Click the Run Search button.

    If images or video exist in the active layer, the map pans and zooms to the extent of the results, footprints appear on the map, and results are listed on the Results tab.

Search by area of interest geometry

A search can be performed on a defined area of interest geometry. See Apply an area of interest filter for more information.

Search by saved search query

When you need to search against the same layer on a regular basis, you can create saved search queries against your filters and active layer. This allows for a single-click search and discovery later. At a minimum, you must enter a name for your saved query. Optionally, you can provide a summary of the query.

To create a saved search query, complete the following steps:

  1. Apply the filters you want your layer to search against.

    Optionally, you can click Run Search to see a list of your search results before proceeding to the next step.

  2. Once you apply the filters of your choice, click the Save button.

    The Create a New Saved Query dialog box appears.

  3. Provide information about your query:
    • Name (required)
    • Description

    The query filters you selected appear in a list under Query Filters to Save.

  4. Click Save Query to save your query.

Your query saves and appears in the My Saved Queries list.

My Saved Queries

The My Saved Queries list contains all the saved queries on layers you previously had saved queries. Clicking Queries opens a list that shows all the queries you saved across multiple layers.

Use a query to search for imagery or video

To use the My Saved Queries list to search for imagery or video, complete the following steps:

  1. Open Search and Discover.
  2. Click Queries.

    The My Saved Queries list opens to the saved queries.

  3. Locate the query you want to search against and click Run this query and update search results.

    Your results appear in the Results list and on your layer.

Note:

Running a saved query on a layer that is not the active layer will clear the  Results  tab, change the map extent, and update the active layer to the layer defined in the query.

Edit a saved query

You can edit a query if you wish to change the saved query Name or Description. To edit your saved query, complete the following steps:

  1. Open Search and Discover.
  2. Click Queries.

    My Saved Queries opens to the saved queries.

  3. Locate the query you want to edit and click Show details for this saved query.

    The query details appear.

  4. Click Edit and change the Name or Description.
  5. Click Save Query to save your changes.

Delete a saved query

You can delete a query if it is no longer applicable. To delete your saved query, complete the following steps:

  1. Open Search and Discover.
  2. Click Queries.

    The My Saved Queries list opens to the saved queries.

  3. Locate the query you want to delete and click Delete this saved query.

    A message appears asking you to confirm your deletion.

  4. Click Delete. Click Cancel to return to the My Saved Queries list.
Note:

You can delete all saved queries by clicking the Delete All button in the corner of the My Saved Queries view.