Open Excalibur projects

An Excalibur project can be opened from the Excalibur projects list. By default, the project opens in the canvas view. The project capabilities determine 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 and video from a web service

All Excalibur projects have an image, a set of images, an imagery layer, or a video layer from which the Excalibur project was created. The image or images may be available in the supported 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.

Bookmarks tool

A bookmark is a navigation shortcut to a position on a map or perspective in the map to return to later. When you create a bookmark, it references the map it was created from. You can save a project bookmark through an Excalibur project in the canvas and use web map bookmarks if the web map being used in the project has bookmarks saved to it.

The Bookmarks menu lists all the bookmarks in the associated project and in the web map being used within the project. You can click the Zoom to bookmark extent button on a bookmark as a shortcut to navigate to a position in the project.

Create a bookmark

Create bookmarks by clicking Create Bookmark from the Bookmarks menu. To save a bookmark, complete the following steps:

1. In the project, navigate to the location or perspective you want to bookmark.
2. Provide the following:
   • Name—A memorable name for the bookmark
   • Description—A summary of the bookmark
3. Click Create.

   The bookmark appears in the Project Bookmarks menu.

Edit a project bookmark

To edit a bookmark, complete the following steps:

1. In the project, click Bookmarks.
2. Locate the bookmark on the Project tab and click Edit Bookmark.
3. Edit the Name and Description of the bookmark.
4. Optionally, adjust the extent of the map.
5. Click Save to update your changes. Click Cancel to return to the Project Bookmarks menu.

Delete a project bookmark

To delete a bookmark, complete the following steps:

1. In the project, click Bookmarks.
2. Locate the bookmark on the Project tab and click Delete Bookmark.

   The bookmark is removed from the project bookmarks.

Use web map bookmarks

To use a web map bookmark, the web map being used within the project must have bookmarks saved to it. Bookmarks can be saved to web maps when they are created in Map Viewer in Portal for ArcGIS or within ArcGIS Pro. To use a web map bookmark in an Excalibur project, complete the following steps:

1. In the project, click the More menu and click Project Details.
2. On the Web Map tab, click Browse Web Maps.
3. Select a web map that has bookmarks saved to it.
4. Once the project web map is changed, open the project by clicking Open Project.
5. In the project, click Bookmarks.
6. Locate the web map bookmarks on the Web Map tab.
7. Click the Zoom to bookmark extent button on the web map bookmark as a shortcut to navigate to the position of that bookmark in the project.

To edit or delete a web map bookmark, this must be done within the web map in Map Viewer in Portal for ArcGIS or in ArcGIS Pro.

View project instructions

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

1. In an Excalibur project, click Tools
2. Under Project Tools, click Instructions.

   The tools panel dynamically loads with the project instructions and optional supporting materials.

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

Edit project instructions

If you are working on a project as the project owner or if you are signed in with an account that has administrator privileges, you can also edit the project instructions from the Instructions tool. To edit the project instructions, complete the following steps:

1. In an Excalibur project that you own, or if you are signed in with an account that has administrator privileges, click Tools.
2. Under Project Tools, click Instructions.

   The tools panel dynamically loads with the project instructions.

3. Click the Edit button.

   The text editor appears, and you can change the instructions.

4. Make any necessary changes and then click Update. Alternatively, click Cancel to close the text editor and cancel and changes.

The instructions are updated within the tool and are reflected in the project details.

Project web map

When an Excalibur project is created, a web map is created also and set as the project web map. Any Excalibur project can include an existing web map that contains layers to provide context for an Excalibur project.

When you open a project, the web map appears in the Map Panel. If the web map contains layers, the layers are overlaid on top of the image in both the map panel and the Focus Panel if an image service is being used as the focus layer. These layers can be turned on or off, or you can interact with them, to view additional information.

Turn layers on and off

To turn the layers on and off in each view from the layers list, complete the following steps:

1. In an Excalibur project, click Layers.
2. Click the view button to turn individual layers on or off.

Editable collection layers

When you open an Excalibur project with observation layers, a time slider, a feature table, and set of observation tools are included as part of the Excalibur project. The time slider and observation tools are directly associated with the editable collection layers that were defined when the project was created. If the observation layer is not time-enabled, you can manage the system fields to add the capability.

Note:

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

Time slider

When an Excalibur 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 a project. Each observation layer has a time element that can be used 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 the 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 the current project session.

Note:

If the Excalibur 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 an Excalibur project that contains new observation layers.

Use time intervals or a continuous timeline

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. You can adjust these handles along set intervals to filter a view based on the desired time extent. You can also disable these set intervals, allowing you to move the handles continuously along the time slider. You can also use the date and time inputs to set a custom range. Whether you use time intervals or a continuous timeline, you can adjust the time.

To adjust the time, complete the following steps:

1. Click to grab the start time handle and drag it along the timeline to the desired start time.

   Additionally, you can manually enter a start date and time using the Date and Time inputs.

2. Click to grab the end time handle and drag it along the timeline to the desired end time.

   Additionally, you can manually enter an end date and time using the Date and Time inputs.

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 dynamically updates based on the defined start and end time.

5. To manually step through your desired time extent, do the following:

   • Click Previous to step back to the previous time interval.

   • Click Next to move forward to the next time interval.

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

Show muted effect

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

Disable time filter

If you do not want a time filter on the observation layers, you can disable this filter. This results in viewing all features within the observation layers regardless if they include time information.

Use the feature table

The feature table provides an interactive tabular view of any context or observation layers in the Excalibur project. You can use the table to select or deselect a row and view the corresponding features highlighted on the map.

To use the feature table, complete the following steps:

1. In an Excalibur project, click the Resize Panel to expand the feature table.

   The table expands and displays the attributes and details of the selected layer. The total feature count and total selected feature count also display above the table.

2. Use the Display Layer drop-down menu to select the layer you want to view.

   Knowledge Graph spatial entity observation layers are not currently supported with the Feature table, so only Feature Layer observation layers appear here.

   The table dynamically updates with the selected layer.

3. Click each column or the Options menu to sort the field in an ascending or descending order.
4. Optionally, click and drag the column headers to reorder the columns to the preferred order.
5. Check the check box next to each feature to select the desired features.

   The corresponding features will highlight on the map. The total selected features dynamically update every time a feature is selected or unselected.

6. Click Clear to deselect all features.

Note:

If you open the Edit Observations tool or Copy Observations tool and select any observations, the Observations Selected count also reflects any selected observations in the layer.

Use the Collect Observations tool

In ArcGIS Excalibur, the Collect Observations tool is available when there is at least one observation layer in an Excalibur project. The Collect Observations 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 Collect Observations tool, in an Excalibur project, click the Tools menu. The tools appear in their own section in the Project Tools menu. You can expand and collapse each layer to make the list more manageable. The Collect Observations tool 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 Collect Observations tool, complete the following steps:

1. In the Tools menu, click the Collect Observations tool under the Project Tools menu.

   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 map or 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 Observations Added total displays 1 as the first observation collected.

3. Click the map or image again.

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

4. Click the map or 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 differences are 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 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.

Note:

If you collect an observation with a GeoEnrichment definition, attributes from the polygon layer will automatically populate in the point observation layer.

Use the Edit Observations tool

The Edit Observations tool is available when there is at least one observation layer in the Excalibur project. The Edit Observations tool allows you to select and edit individual or multiple observations at once, copy observations, or delete observations.

To access the Edit Observations tool, in an Excalibur project, click the Tools menu. The tools appear in their own section in the Project Tools menu. The Edit Observations tool allows you edit observations before submitting them to be written to the underlying editable collection layer. This saves time during the editing workflow.

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

1. In the Tools menu, click the Edit Observations tool under the Project Tools menu.
2. Under Choose Observation Layer to Edit, use the drop-down menu to choose the observation layer you want to edit.

   If only one observation layer is present in the current Excalibur project, the layer is preselected.

3. Click in the view to select observations in the layer or use the sketch tools to draw an area to select observations.

   The selected observations are highlighted. The Observations Selected count appears and dynamically updates the total observations selected.

   You have the option to resketch your selection or clear your selection by clicking Clear Selection

4. Click Edit, Copy, or Delete.
5. Click Edit to update any fields that need changes, change the location of the selected observations, or change the shape of your observation if it is a polygon or line observation layer. Add or remove attachments on the observation by clicking the Add Attachment button or Remove button.

   You can also create a .jpg image chip using the Draw Chip button. This allows you to draw an area of interest, preview your image chip and enter an image name, and add this to your observation.

   Note:

   The following file types are supported on observation layers: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .pdf, .doc, .docx, .ppt, and .pptx.

6. Click Update to save your changes. Click Cancel to return to the edit options.

   A notification appears confirming your update.

7. Optionally, click Copy.

   A new panel appears where you can copy the selected observations, or source layer, to the same layer or you can select a different destination layer to copy it to another observation layer if you have multiple observation layers of the same geometry added to the project. 

   If you choose the same layer for Destination Layer as Source Layer and click Submit, a copy of the selected observations will be added to the layer. 

8. To copy the selected observation to a different observation layer, select a different layer for the Destination Layer setting than the Source Layer setting. 

   The option to field match will appear. If the option to field match is skipped, the fields from the source layer are appended when copied to the destination layer. 

   If you choose to field match, fields from the source layer can be matched to fields of the same field type in the destination layer to copy data from the Source Layer fields to existing Destination Layer fields.

9. Select fields to field match or leave this section empty.
10. Click Submit to continue. 

    The selected observations then copy to the destination layer in the feature table. A notification appears confirming a successful copy. 

11. Optionally, click Delete.

    A confirmation pop-up appears to ensure that you want to delete the selected observations.

12. Click Delete to remove the observations. Click Cancel to return to the edit options.

    A notification appears confirming a successful deletion.

Use the Attachment Manager

The Attachment Manager is available when there is at least one observation layer in the Excalibur project. The Attachment Manager allows you to select and edit the attachments on individual or multiple observations at once.

To access the Attachment Manager in an Excalibur project, click Tools. The tools appear in their own section in Project Tools. The Attachment Manager allows you to edit the attachments on selected observations. This streamlines the workflow of adding and removing attachments to collected observations.

To use Attachment Manager, complete the following steps:

1. Click Attachment Manager in Tools under Project Tools.
2. Choose the observation layer to modify under Select Layer.

   If only one observation layer is present in the current project that layer is preselected.

3. Click in the view to select observations in the layer, use the sketch tools to draw and area, or use Feature Table to select observations.

   The selected observations are highlighted. The Total Selected count appears and dynamically updates the total observations selected. Each observation in the tool shows how many attachments are on that individual observation.

   You have the option to resketch your selection or clear your selection by clicking Clear Selection.

4. Click the observations in the Tool Pane.

   The observation is selected and highlighted on the map and in the tool. The observation flashes for you to see where it is on the map. Optionally, you can click More Options and Tools next to each observation in the tool to zoom to or open the pop-up for the observation.

5. Add or remove attachments on the observation by clicking Add Attachments or Remove.

   You can also create a .jpg image chip using Draw Chip. This allows you to draw an area of interest, preview your image chip, enter an image name, and add this to your observation.

   Observation layers support .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .pdf, .doc, .docx, .ppt, and .pptx files.

   A notification appears confirming your update.