Managing Layer Visibility
The Selectable On/Off Button-Eye Icon for layers and files is a fundamental tool for managing a cluttered workspace. Toggling a layer is purely a visual display control that allows users to turn layers on or off seamlessly without permanently altering the session.
Raster Style & Color Symbology
The Raster Style menu allows you to customize how your continuous raster data (such as elevation models, temperature maps, or satellite imagery) is visualized on the map.
To open the styling options, click the Raster icon next to your raster layer. You can adjust the following settings to best represent your data:
Render Mode
The render mode determines how the pixel values in your raster are translated into colors on the screen.
- Singleband Pseudocolor: This is the most common mode for continuous data. It maps the numerical data values of a single band to a continuous color gradient, making it easy to identify highs, lows, and trends across your map.
Band Selection
If your raster file contains multiple bands of data (for example, different light spectrums from a satellite or multi-spectral image), you can use this dropdown to select which specific band you want to visualize.
- Example: Selecting "Gray" will apply your chosen styling only to the grayscale intensity band of the image.
Colormap
The colormap defines the specific color palette applied to your data values. Choosing the right colormap is crucial for making your data readable, accurate, and accessible.
Opacity
Use the slider to adjust the transparency of the raster layer.
- 100% Opacity: Makes the raster fully opaque, blocking out layers underneath.
- Lowered Opacity (e.g., 50%): Allows you to see basemaps, labels, or other underlying data layers through your raster.
Applying Your Styles
- Apply: Click this button to instantly update the map with your new styling choices.
- Reset: Click this button to undo your unsaved changes and return to the default styling.
Vector Symbology Editor
The Vector Symbology Editor allows you to completely customize the appearance of your vector data (polygons, lines, and points) on the map.
To open the styling options, click the Vector Icon next to your vector layer. You can adjust both the interior (Fill) and the outline (Border) of your shapes using the settings below:
Fill Settings
The Fill section controls the inside color and transparency of your polygons or point markers.
- Toggle Checkbox: Use the blue checkmark to quickly turn the fill color on or off without losing your custom color configurations.
- Color Picker: Click the color box or directly enter a hex code (e.g.,
#dc2626) to choose the exact color for the interior of your shapes.
- Opacity Slider: Adjust the transparency of the fill color. Lowering the opacity (e.g., to 40%) creates a semi-transparent effect, which is perfect for viewing basemaps, satellite imagery, or other overlapping data layers underneath your vectors.
Border Settings
The Border section controls the outline (or stroke) of your polygons, lines, and points.
- Toggle Checkbox: Use the blue checkmark to turn the border on or off. Turning it off is useful for creating clean, seamless heatmaps or simplified, modern visualizations.
- Color Picker: Select the color for your borders. Choosing a darker, complementary color (e.g.,
#881818) helps your shapes stand out clearly against varied map backgrounds.
- Width Slider: Adjust the thickness of the border line. Slide it to the left for a thin, subtle outline (e.g.,
1px), or to the right for a bold, prominent boundary.
Layer Styling & Persistent Symbology
Persistent Symbology Editor Changes
When you customize layer colors, fills, opacity, line styles, or raster gradients using the Symbology Editor:
- Session Persistence: All vector and raster styling changes are saved directly with your session state.
- Automatic Restoration: Reopening the session seamlessly restores your customized visual styling.
- Concurrency Protection: Built-in safeguards protect against silent overwrites when working across concurrent sessions.