Create areas
An area is a named point or polygon that you order imagery and elevation data over.
Before you start
An area is created in the project selected in the sidebar project switcher, which becomes its home project. Add Area is disabled in All projects and in projects you cannot edit. Changing project reloads the map and discards any unsaved drawing or upload.
You need the Editor, Approver or Manager role in the project. A workspace Viewer is read-only everywhere, and a workspace Admin must first add themselves to the project.
Open the Overview map
In the sidebar, under Acquisition, select Overview, pick a project, then select Add Area in the area panel on the right. Besides drawing, Add Area lets you bring in an existing area from another project (Manage areas) or import from a file or a WFS / ArcGIS service (Import and export areas).
Check whether the boundary already exists in another project before drawing it. Bringing in the existing area keeps one record, so its deliverables are shared rather than split across two copies.
Draw a point
Under Draw, select Point and click the map. Drag the marker to adjust it, then name and save it. A point suits orders centred on one location, such as point tasking.
Draw a polygon
Under Draw, select Polygon, click to add each vertex, then double-click or press Enter to finish. Before saving you can drag vertices, click an edge to add a vertex or Shift+click a vertex to remove it.
Draw a box
Under Draw, select Box and click and drag. Press Esc to cancel. A box is saved as an ordinary polygon, so you can reshape it like one.
Drawing aids
| Aid | How it works |
|---|---|
| Undo | Ctrl/Cmd+Z removes the last vertex while drawing, or undoes the last edit in the save panel (up to 50 steps). Undoing past 3 vertices discards the polygon. |
| Angle lock | Hold Shift to lock edges to 45 degree steps. |
| Snapping | A vertex snaps to a red guide when it lines up with another vertex of the same shape. Hold Ctrl/Cmd to turn it off. |
| Self-intersection | Crossing points are marked in red. Fix them before saving or the save is refused. |
Choose a group while saving
Group (optional) lists the project's groups. Create new group makes one and selects it; with no group the area appears under Ungrouped. See Area groups.
Naming rules
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Length | 1 to 60 characters. |
| Characters | Letters A to Z, numbers, spaces, hyphens and underscores only. Accented letters and punctuation are refused. |
| Unique | No other area in the home project can have the same name ("Area name already exists in this project"). Deleted areas' names can be reused, and areas in different projects can share a name. |
Shape rules and limits
A shape that breaks a rule is refused, never changed for you.
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Geometry | A single point or a single polygon: one connected piece, no holes, no crossing outline. |
| Maximum size | 1,000,000 square kilometres. |
| Maximum vertices | 500. |
| No slivers | No gap or sliver narrower than about 5 metres. |
| Latitude | Within about 85 degrees north or south. |
A refused shape shows "Geometry cannot be saved as submitted:" and the problems found. There is no limit on how many areas a project can hold. Some products need a minimum area size when ordering; see Create an order.