Using the Boundary Tool to Edit Composite Surveys


Using the boundary tool with composite surveys will give you more control over what your survey looks like. 

How are Composite Surveys Generated?

We know that data gets less accurate towards the edges of any survey. When we merge surveys, we need to ensure that we're not using "bad data" over "good data," even if it's older data. The most reliable way to do this is to trim everything outside the flight area. In some cases, partial surveys will overlap.

For example:

Editing overlapping surveys

When merging overlapping surveys, the newest survey will be placed on top by default of the older survey. However, this can be modified.

For this project, survey A (in red below) was flown first, followed by survey B (in blue below). Survey B will be on top of survey A, where they overlap. 

Each survey used for the composite will be treated as a measurement. In the MEASURE tab, a folder called Composite Trim Boundaries will contain these measurements. This is where you can edit the shape of each survey boundary. 

For this example, the project manager wants Survey A to be on top in the overlap area. To accomplish this, we need to peel back the boundary of Survey B by editing its shape. 

Click on the three dots next to the survey you want to edit and choose Edit shape from the menu.

Composite Edit Shape.png

Edit the boundary like you would edit any other measurement. To make a simple modification, click and drag the yellow node to where you want the boundary to be.  If you have many points that need to be moved, select them in bulk by holding the shift key on your keyboard, select the dots, and then drag them to where the new boundary should be.

Looking at the before and after photos below, we can see that the boundary of Survey B has been pulled back, leaving the surface of Survey A to rise to the top of the model.

After you have modified the boundaries, SAVE the measurements.

 

new composite boundary

Editing surveys with gaps

Just like surveys can overlap, in some cases, gaps can also occur during composite auto-generation. These can also be edited to better suit your needs.  

Click on the three dots next to the survey you want to edit and choose Edit shape from the menu.

Composite Edit Shape.png

To make a simple modification, click and drag the yellow node to where you want the boundary to be. If you have many points that need to be moved, select them in bulk by holding the shift key on your keyboard, select the dots, and then drag them to where the new boundary should be.

For example:

 

 

 

Your edits will be ready to view within 5 minutes. Simply refresh the browser after this period of time to see the results.

Pro Tip: If you need the edits right away, navigate back up to the survey list, hover over the composite survey, and you will see there is a modify icon . By selecting this, we are basically asking to generate a new, updated composite that takes the modified boundaries into account.

Once your map has been refreshed, you should see your new composite site with the updated boundaries. For more information, please visit our FAQs for Composite Surveys.


I still can't do it!

We wrote these articles to equip you with everything you need to get the job done on your own, but we understand that sometimes this isn't sufficient.

If you're stuck, you can connect with our support team by clicking the support button on the top right corner of your user portal.

Related to