GEOG 751: Digital Techniques of Remote Sensing

Exercise #5

Image Annotation and Map Composition

Objectives

Part I - Image Annotation

Before you begin this section, select [Help | IMAGINE Online Documentation...] from the main IMAGINE icon panel.  When the On-Line Manuals screen appears, click on [Show] in the upper right corner of the screen.  From here you are able to access all of the online documentation, as well as a number of digital books in Acrobat (*.pdf) format.  Take a brief look at the Annotation On-Line Manual to get familiar with some of the cartographic tools in IMAGINE.

Begin by displaying an image in the Viewer.  Select [File | New | Annotation Layer...].  In the window that opens, choose a desired output path, name the new annotation layer file exercise-5.ovr, and press [OK].

The Annotation toolbar will appear. Click on the Create Text Annotation button in the menu.  Now move your cursor in the Viewer where you want to place text.  Single click and a window will appear for you to enter a text string. When you are done entering text, click [OK].  Now select the text by clicking it.  A double click with the mouse will bring up the Text Properties window.  You can move the text by selecting it (left mouse button) and sliding it around while holding the left mouse button down.  A box will appear around the text string and you can also alter the size by selecting the box and manipulating it.  Experiment.  If you want to make any changes in font style, color etc., make them while the text is selected and apply them. To de-select text, select an area on screen away from the text. You can change the text style by clicking on the Display Annotation Styles button.  When the Styles window appears, open the [Text Style] menu with the left mouse button and choose [Other...].  The Custom folder tab will give you several options to choose from including fill color, font style, and size.  Use this tool to make your choices about the text you will place in the annotation layer.  You have the ability to change the text selections, etc. at a later point as well if you are not satisfied with these initial choices.

Annotation for images should contain certain entries so that others can tell what has been altered in the image that may be important to how they use it to make decisions.  The following items are some suggestions on what to include on an annotation:

1) your name
2) the sensor system (SPOT, ETM+, CAMS, AVIRIS etc.)
3) Any alterations listed that were done to the image (rectified, filtered etc.)
4) The band assignments to their display colors (R,G,B = 1,2,3 etc.)
5) The date you completed the work on the image (you should display the date as follows: 11 September 2004).

This information should also NOT be put on top of the image but off to the side or below it. This is because you would not want the annotation covering up vital parts of the image such that they could not be viewed.

When you are finished, save the image and its annotation file by selecting [File | Save | Top Layer].

 

Part II - Map Composer

Image



The ERDAS Imagine Map Composer is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor for creating cartographic-quality maps and presentation graphics.  Maps can include single or multiple continuous raster layers, thematic (GIS) layers, vector layers, and annotation layers. First, copy the modeler_output.img image into your workspace.  To start the map composition process, select the [Composer] button from the IMAGINE icon panel.

In the menu that appears, select [New Map Composition...].  When the New Map Composition dialog opens, enter the name exercise-5_a.map as the new map name.  Specify a [Map Width] of 7.5 and a [Map Height] of 10 (to allow for a small margin on the 8.5 × 11 map). Make sure the [Units] is set to [inches] and then click [OK].  A blank Map Composer window will display along with the Annotation tool palette. Refer to the Annotation Tools and Commands section of the Annotation On-Line Manual to learn more about the functions of the icons in the Annotation tool palette.

With your cursor in the Map Composer viewer, select [Fit Map To Window] from the QuickView menu so that you can see the entire map composition page. Now in an IMAGINE Viewer, open the model_output.img file and select [Fit to Frame] before opening. Once this image is opened, you must now define your map frame (where you want your image to appear on your composition). Click on the [Create Map Frame] icon to draw the boundary of the map frame. Near the top of the Map Composer window, drag your cursor downward at an angle to draw the map frame. You can position the size of the map frame later. Make sure you allow ample space for a title, legend, north arrow, and scale bar. When you release the mouse button, the Map Frame Data Source dialog should appear. Click on Viewer... and then click anywhere in the viewer displaying the modeler_output.img image.

Draw the Map Frame

The Map Frame dialog should open, giving you options for sizing, scaling, and positioning the new map frame. A cursor box also displays in the viewer. This cursor box allows you to select the area you want to use in the map composition. You can move the map frame in the Map Composer window and the cursor box in the viewer by dragging and resizing them with the mouse, or you can move one or both boxes by manipulating the information in the Map Frame dialog. You can also rotate the box in the viewer if you want to change the orientation. In the Map Frame dialog, click [Change Map and Frame Area (Maintain Scale)] so that you can accurately size the map frame. Now enter the value of 5.5 in both the [Frame Width] and the [Frame Height fields]. Now click on [Change Scale and Map Area (Maintain Frame Area)] and enter the [Upper Left Frame Coordinates X] value of 1.0 and a [Upper Left Frame Coordinates Y] value of 9.0. Set the [Scale] to 50,000. Now position the cursor box in the viewer to the area you want to display in the map composition, and click [OK].

You may edit the map frame by clicking on the [Select Map Frame] icon in the Annotation tool palette. When this tool is selected, you can select any map frame within the composition for resizing or repositioning purposes. If you make a mistake during this long process, you can delete a map frame by going to [View | Arrange Layers...] in the Map Composer viewer menu bar. When the Arrange Layers dialog appears, position your cursor above the map frame you want to delete and hold down the right mouse button. Select [Delete Layer], then click [Apply].

Add a Neat-line and Tick Marks

Next we will add a neat-line and some tick marks to our composition. A neat-line is a rectangular border around a map frame. Tick marks are small lines along the edge of the map frame that indicate the map units (meters, feet, etc.). You must be using a georeferenced image in order to produce tick marks. Now go to the Annotation tools palette and select the [Grid/Tick] icon and click on the map frame on which you want to place the neat-line and tick marks. When the Set Grid/Tick Info dialog appears enter the following parameters:

[Horizontal Axis] (Length Inside) = 0.06
[Spacing] = 5000
Click on [Copy to Vertical] (to copy to vertical axis)
Click [Apply]

If you are satisfied with the appearance of the neat-line, click [Close] in the Set Grid/Tick Info dialog, otherwise click [Undo Previous Edits] button in the Annotation tool palette to make adjustments.

Change Text / Line Styles

The text and line styles used for neat-lines, tick marks, and grid lines depend on the default settings in the Styles dialog. You can either set the styles before adding annotation or change the style once they are placed on the map. In your map, you will set the [line style] to 1 point for the neat-line and tick marks, and the [text size] to 10 points for the tick labels. Do this by clicking on the labels outside the map frame. From the Map Composer viewer menu bar, select [Annotation | Styles...].  Set the text and line styles using the same methods explained in Part I. Annotation may be grouped and ungrouped by selecting [Annotation | Group (or Ungroup)].

Make a Scale Bar

As with adding tick marks, in order to create a scale bar you must be using an image that is georeferenced (rectified). Select the Scale Bar Tool icon from the Annotation tool palette. Move the cursor into the Map Composer viewer and the cursor changes to the scale bar positioning cursor. Drag the mouse to draw a box under the right corner of the Map Frame, outlining the length and location of the scale bar. You can change the size and location later if needed. Follow the directions by clicking in the Map Frame to indicate that this is the image whose scale you are showing. In the Scale Bar Properties dialog, select kilometers and miles as the [Units] and set the [Maximum Length] to 2.0 inches. Click [Apply]. You may redo the scale bar if you are dissatisfied with the results. You may reposition the scale bar by clicking on the center point and dragging it to the desired position.

Create a Legend

In order to create a legend, you must have a file opened that contains thematic data. Click on the Legend icon in the Annotation tool palette. Move the cursor into the Map Composer window and click under the left side of the map frame to indicate the position of the upper left corner of the legend. Click in the map frame to indicate that this is the image you want to use to create the legend. When the Legend Properties dialog appears, the Basic tab should be displayed. The Class Names are listed under Legend Layout. Under Legend Layout rename the [Class_5] by highlighting it and typing "SPOT Panchromatic". Now select rows 2 through 6 to select the classes to be displayed in the legend. Now click on the Title tab at the top of the dialog and left justify the [Title Alignment]. Click [Apply]. Like all other graphics, you may reposition the legend by selecting it and dragging with the mouse.

Add a Map Title

Click on the [Text] icon in the Annotation tool palette. Move the cursor to the top of the map and click where you want to place text. When the Annotation Text dialog appears, enter the following title: "Environmental Sensitivity Analysis" and click [OK]. Change the text style by selecting [Annotation | Styles] in the Map Composer menu bar and setting the following parameters: Position the title by double-clicking on the text and entering the following parameters in the Text Properties dialog:

Place a North Arrow

Map Composer contains many symbols, including north arrows. These symbols are pre-drawn groups of elements that are stored in a library. If the Styles dialog isn't opened, select [Annotation | Styles...] from the Map Composer menu bar. In the Styles dialog, hold down the popup list next to [Symbol Style]: and select [Other...] In the Symbol Chooser dialog, select [North Arrows] in the menu popup list. Select north arrow 4 from the list. Change the size to 36 points and click [Apply]. Close the Symbol Chooser dialog and select the [Symbol] tool from the Annotation tool palette (looks like a crosshair). In the Map Composer window, click under the map image, between the legend and the scale bars. Once the north arrow is displayed, you can reposition all graphics so they appear neat and orderly on the composition. Remember you can double-click on most graphics to bring up a Properties dialog for editing purposes.

Write Descriptive Text

Include on your map composition the following descriptive text using the following properties:

 

San Diego, California
Environmental Sensitivity Analysis

 

When grading the map composer file exercise-5_a.map, I will be looking for all of the above items with their associated correct properties and organized placement. When you feel you have met each of these criteria in your map composition be sure to save a copy of the map composition in your Assistant directory. (For the exercise 5, you don't need to drop the files in the DROP folder. Instead, create Assistant folder under your own folder (e.g., \\Black\user0\geog\751F04\your folder\Assistant\), and save a copy of the map composition (.map, .ovr, and the image data) in that folder.   


Part III - Create your own Map

Now use your creative abilities to create a second map (exercise-5_b.map) using an image we have previously worked on or an image of your choice acquired elsewhere. You may want to display and compare different bands, density slice an image, or display contrast enhancements...the choice is yours. Be sure to include a title, scale bar, legend, north arrow, desrmfocriptive text, and other map essentials that are appropriate for your image. Save the map composition in your Assistant directory when finished.



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Last Modified: January 16, 2006