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Planetary Computer Explorer

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The Planetary Computer Explorer allows you to search datasets from our catalog and visualize the results individually and as mosaics on a map. Many of the datasets on the Planetary Computer are updated repeatedly over time, with data items overlapping geographically. Finding the right subset can be a time consuming process using programmatic tools, with a slow search-render-iterate feedback loop. The Explorer was designed to allow users to quickly find and visualize data, and easily recreate their searches in an analytic environment.

Additionally, it’s a great tool for casual browsing to get more familiar with datasets, their spatiotemporal range, and to understand what types of features are visible at different pixel resolutions.

Selecting datasets

Datasets that are available in the Explorer can be browsed and selected by clicking the Dataset Selector at the top of the page

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In the catalog popup, you can view datasets by category and filter results against dataset metadata. The interface is similar to the main Data Catalog page. Select a dataset by click on the dataset card.

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Datasets can also be opened in the Explorer directly from their catalog page. The “Launch in Explorer” button will launch the Explorer at a location that has data availability and an interesting visualization.

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After selecting a dataset, a pre-configured query and appropriate rendering options are automatically selected to get you started. Many datasets have several options for both, while others are best represented by a single query and rendering option. While using the Explorer, the URL in your web browser will contain the relevant selections, and can be bookmarked or shared.

Currently, only datasets with GeoTIFF data assets are available in the Explorer.

Viewing results

An initial list of items matching the pre-configured search is presented in the Explorer sidebar. These items represent the assets that are also used in the map mosaic. Hovering over an item in the list will highlight the footprint of that item in the list, so you can see how it contributes to the mosaic. Depending on the footprint size and the map zoom level, only a portion of the item may be represented. To see the full item rendered on the map, click the result item to open its detail view. On the detail view, you have access to all the item’s metadata fields and a list of all the assets that it contains, including the keys needed to access them from the Planetary Computer STAC API.

You’ll also see a larger preview image using the currently selected rendering option. To see a complete representation of the item on the map, click the small map icon under the preview image. This will toggle the map view to show only the single item on the map. Browse and zoom around; when you return to the detail list, you will return to your original viewport and search results.

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Depending on how restrictive your query is, or the general availability of a dataset in a certain area, there may be “gaps” in the map layer. Since this is a mosaicked view, that is expected. Similarly, for imagery datasets, the images stitched together may be from different days, under different weather conditions, and won’t necessarily be a seamless mosaic.

Not all datasets have global coverage. If you switch to a new dataset while in an area without coverage, or pan outside of the covered area, look for a notice to direct you to the valid extent.

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Custom filters

Each dataset is preconfigured with a set of filters that can be used to quickly find representative items in a dataset. The Explorer also has an Advanced mode that allows you to customize the filters for your query. To activate Advanced mode, simply select the dataset you’re interested in and click the “Advanced” link.

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The custom filter will start with a date-range filter by default, but you can click the “Select filters” link to select any number of attributes on the dataset to use within your custom filter. Selected attributes will be displayed in a custom control relevant to its data type to help ensure that your filter is valid and will return results.

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Rendering options

The Explorer is pre-configured with appropriate rendering options for each asset in a dataset. For items with multiple assets, each representing a distinct data variable, each rendering option will be a single asset with an appropriate color map applied. For example, Harmonized Global Biomass has four assets, each representing a different measure of stored carbon. Imagery datasets on the other hand, list various rendering options that combine bands into well known RGB interpretations or expressions, like false color or Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). To see a description of the selected rendering option, click the info button next to the search results.

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Legends

If the selected rendering option represents a categorical or continuous variable, a legend will appear showing the color map and value range, or the categories and their respective colors on the map.

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Working with multiple layers

The Explorer works with multiple layers at once, allowing overlays and comparisons between different datasets or different search results and rendering options of the same layer. To pin the current search results to the map, click on the pin icon next to the search results or in the legend. This will clear out the current search, but leave the mosaic on the map. You can continue to search and pin layers to the map. The legend will show options for moving the layer order, toggling visibility, changing opacity, or re-editing the mosaic search or render options.

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Comparing multiple layers

By adjusting the opacity of layers, you can also compare spatially overlapping data items from different temporal ranges. Here’s an example of imagery from NAIP 2011 vs NAIP 2018 showing dramatic differences in the water extent of Lake Powell, UT.

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Working with results in Python

Finding and visualizing data items is likely only the first step in your data analysis workflow. The Explorer provides two options to move your search results into a compute environment. By clicking “Code snippet for search results” under the search results, you can generate a Python snippet to recreate your exact search covering the map viewport. Or, if you’re interested in working with a single item you’ve found, you can generate a Python snippet by clicking the “code” ({ }) button which will load that single item.

Since our data and APIs are accessible to anyone without an account, these snippets can be run in any compute environment. Please refer to our data access documentation for more details.

Feedback

Visit our GitHub Discussions for feedback or questions.