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Creating a Project with Predefined Settings

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Creating a Project with Predefined Settings

1. The Create Project Dialog Box

2. Editing Multidimensional Map Parameters

3. Assigning No-Data Values

4. Importing Image Layers of Different Scales

5. Geocoding

6. Multisource Data Fusion

7. Working with LiDAR *las Files

Creating a Project with Predefined Settings

When you create a new project, the software generates a main map representing the image

data of a scene. To prepare this, you select image layers and optional data sources like

thematic layers or metadata for loading to a new project. You can rearrange the image

layers, select a subset of the image or modify the project default settings. In addition, you

can add metadata.

An image file contains one or more image layers. For example, an RGB image file contains

three image layers, which are displayed through the Red, Green and Blue channels (layers).

Open the Create Project dialog box by going to File > New Project (for more detailed

information on creating a project, refer to The Create Project Dialog Box ). The Import Image

Layers dialog box opens. Select the image data you wish to import, then press the Open

button to display the Create Project dialog box.

File Formats

Opening certain file formats or structures requires you to select the correct driver in the Files

of Type drop-down list.

Then select from the main file in the files area. If you select a repository file (archive file),

another Import Image Layers dialog box opens, where you can select from the contained files.

Then press Open to display the Create Project dialog box

The Create Project Dialog BoxThe Create Project dialog box gives you several options. These options can be edited at any

time by selecting File > Modify Open Project.

Figure : Create Project dialog box.

Actions ▼

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Change the name of your project in the Project Name field. The Map selection is not

active here, but can be changed in the Modify Project dialog box after project creation is

finished.

If you load two-dimensional image data, you can define a subset using the Subset

Selection button. If the complete scene to be analyzed is relatively large, subset

selection enables you to work on a smaller area to save processing time.

If you want to rescale the scene during import, edit the scale factor in the text box

corresponding to the scaling method used: resolution (m/pxl), magnification (x), percent

(%), or pixel (pxl/pxl).

To use the geocoding information from an image file to be imported, select the Use

Geocoding checkbox.

For feature calculations, value display, and export, you can edit the Pixels Size (Unit).

If you keep the default (auto)the unit conversion is applied according to the unit of the

co-ordinate system of the image data as follows:

* If geocoding information is included, the pixel size is equal to the

resolution.

* In other cases, pixel size is 1.

In special cases you may want to ignore the unit information from the included geocoding

information. To do so, deactivate Initialize Unit Conversion from Input File item in Tools >

Options in the main menu

The Image Layer pane allows you to insert, remove and edit image layers. The order

of layers can be changed using the up and down arrows

* If you use multidimensional image data sets, you can check and edit

multidimensional map parameters. You can set the number, the distance, and the starting

item for both slices and frames.

* If you load two-dimensional image data, you can set the value of

those pixels that are not to be analyzed. Select an image layer and click the No Data button

to open the Assign No Data Values dialog box.

* If you import image layers of different sizes, the largest image layer

dimensions determine the size of the scene. When importing without using geocoding , the

smaller image layers keep their size if the Enforce Fitting check box is cleared. If you want to

stretch the smaller image layers to the scene size, select the Enforce Fitting checkbox.

Thematic layers can be inserted, removed and edited in the same manner as image

layers.

If not done automatically, you can load Metadata source files to make them available

within the map.

Editing Multidimensional Map ParametersWhen creating a new map, you can check and edit parameters of multidimensional maps that

represent 3D, 4D, or time series scenes. Typically, these parameters are taken automatically

from the image data set and this display is for checking only.

However in special cases you may want to change the number, the distance, and the starting



item of slices and frames. The preconditions for amending these values are:

The project includes at least two slices or frames.

The new project has not yet been created or the new map has not yet been saved.

For changing Slice parameters of 3D maps, the height of the internal map has to be

five times larger or more than the width.

For changing Frame parameters of time series maps, the width of the internal map

has to be five times larger or more than the height.

To open the edit multidimensional map parameters, create a new project or add a map to an

existing one. After preloading image layers press the Edit button. The Layer Properties dialog

box opens:

Figure : Layer Properties dialog box.

Change Slice parameters only to change the third dimension of a 3D map.

Change Frame parameters only to change the time dimension of a time series map.

Change Slice and Frame parameters to change the third and the time dimension of a

4D map.

The following parameters are editable:

Parameter Description Calc button Default

Number of

slices

The number of two-dimensional

images each representing a slice

of a three-dimensional scene.

Click the Calc button to

calculate the rounded

ratio of height and width

of the internal map.

1



Slice

distance

Change the spatial distance

between slices.

(no influence) 1

Slice start Change the number of the first

displayed slice.

(no influence) 0

Number of

frames

The number of two-dimensional

images each representing a single

film picture (frame) of a scene

with time dimension.

Click the Calc button to

calculate the rounded

ratio of width and height

of the internal map.

1

Frame

distance

Change the temporal distance

between slices.

(no influence) 1

Frame start

Change the number of the first

displayed frame.

(no influence) 0

Confirm with OK and return to the previous dialog box. After the a with a new map has been

created or saved, the parameters of multidimensional maps cannot be changed any more.

Assigning No-Data ValuesNo-data values can be assigned to scenes with two dimensions only. This allows you to set

the value of pixels that are not to be analyzed. Only no-data-value definitions can be applied

to maps that have not yet been analyzed.

No-data values can be assigned to image pixel values (or combinations of values) to save

processing time. These areas will not be included in the image analysis. Typical examples for

no-data values are bright or dark background areas. The Assign No Data Value dialog box

can be accessed when you create or modify a project

Figure : The Assign No Data Values Dialog Box

After preloading image layers press the No Data button. The Assign No Data Values dialog



box opens.

Selecting Use Single Value for all Layers (Union) lets you set a single pixel value for all

image layers.

To set individual pixel values for each image layer, select the Use Individual Values for

Each Layer checkbox

Select one or more image layers

Enter a value for those pixels that are not to be analyzed. Click Assign. For example in

the dialog box above, the no data value of Layer 1 is 0.000000. This implies that all

pixels of the image layer Layer 1 with a value of zero (i.e. the darkest pixels) are

excluded from the analysis. The no data value of Layer 2 is set to 255 in the Value field

Select Intersection to include those overlapping no data areas only that all image

layers have in common

Select Union to include the no data areas of all individual image layers for the whole

scene, that is if a no data value is found in one image layer, this area is treated as no

data in all other image layers too

Importing Image Layers of Different ScalesYou can insert image layers and thematic layers with different resolutions (scales) into a map.

They need not have the same number of columns and rows. To combine image layers of

different resolutions (scales), the images with the lower resolution – having a larger pixel size

– are resampled to the size of the smallest pixel size. If the layers have exactly the same size

and geographical position, then geocoding is not necessary for the resampling of images.

Figure : Left: Higher resolution – small pixel size. Right: Lower resolution – image is

resampled to be imported.

GeocodingGeocoding is the assignment of positioning marks in images by co-ordinates. In earth

sciences, position marks serve as geographic identifiers. But geocoding is helpful for life

sciences image analysis too. Typical examples include working with subsets, at multiple

magnifications, or with thematic layers for transferring image analysis results.

Typically, available geocoding information is automatically detected: if not, you can enter co-

ordinates manually. Images without geocodes create automatically a virtual co-ordinate

system with a value of 0/0 at the upper left and a unit of 1 pixel. For such images, geocoding

represents the pixel co-ordinates instead of geographic co-ordinates.



Definiens eCognition Developer 8 cannot reproject image layers or thematic layers. Therefore

all image layers must belong to the same co-ordinate system in order to be read properly. If

the co-ordinate system is supported, geographic co-ordinates from inserted files are

detected automatically. If the information is not included in the image file but is nevertheless

available, you can edit it manually.

After importing a layer in the Create New Project or Modify Existing Project dialog boxes,

double-click on a layer to open the Layer Properties dialog box.

Figure : The Layer Properties dialog box allows you to edit the geocoding information.

To edit geocoding information, select the Geocoding check box. You can edit the

x co-ordinate of the lower left corner of the image

y co-ordinate of the lower left corner of the image

Pixel size defining the geometric resolution

Multisource Data FusionIf the loaded image files are geo-referenced to one single co-ordinate system, image layers

and thematic layers with a different geographical coverage, size, or resolution can be

inserted.

This means that image data and thematic data of various origins can be used simultaneously.

The different information channels can be brought into a reasonable relationship to each

other.



Figure : Layers with different geographical coverage.

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