Exportable Layers
Active Layers
When exporting the active layers, Atlas creates a zip file containing a full-resolution RGB (RedEdge) mosaic of the currently selected layers and their current settings in GeoTIFF format (8-bit). It is georeferenced and may be imported into GIS applications like ArcMap or QGIS.
First, select the desired layers and adjust their color scales and histograms. Next, press the Export button. The Export dialog appears. From there, you can request to export the Current View.
Calculated Indices
Atlas exports individual files containing orthorectified 32-bit floating-point GeoTIFFs of each vegetation index selected (NDVI, NDRE, and OSAVI). These can then be imported into GIS applications to modify symbology and analyze spatial and temporal trends in index values.
Multi-Band Mosaic
A multi-band, full spatial resolution, orthorectified GeoTIFF (16-bit), projected into the local UTM zone, perfect for importing into GIS applications like ArcMap or QGIS. The image contains five bands.
The band order is: Blue, Green, Red, RedEdge, and Near-Infrared. Since most applications expect the first three bands of each image to be RGB, the band order may need to be adjusted within the application to visualize the natural color bands appropriately (switch bands one and three: BGR -> RGB).
Digital Surface Model (DSM)
A DSM is a representation of the elevation (in meters/feet above sea level) of the visible parts of the image. It is not a representation of terrain (unless the ground is bare). It can help estimate relative crop volume, identify surface properties, and model water flow and accumulation. The exported file is a 32-bit floating-point GeoTIFF that can be opened in any GIS application (like ArcMap or QGIS).
A DSM is like laying a blanket on the surface. It represents the top faces of all objects on the terrain, including vegetation and man-made features, and highlights the different elevations of the features. It is relatively accurate over small areas and can be used to measure the height of a plant or tree above the surrounding terrain. It's not uncommon for the DSM to be biased from actual ground elevation or to have global trends from one side of a mosaic to another that aren't consistent with the actual topography.
Considerations When Exporting Atlas Layers
Requesting "Current View" will result in exporting the current view in your Atlas farm view window, including any layers that are activated. This means that all of the selected layers will be drawn on top of one another in the same way and with the same colors seen in the viewing window on Atlas. The file name of the downloaded file is set with the field name and the time of processing.
Requesting "Calculated Indices" will result in exporting each of the vegetation indices currently activated, with a separate, labeled file for each contained in a zip folder that is labeled with the field and date requested. So, If you would like to view multiple rendered layers in a GIS, it is best to export the base layer (like the RGB or CIR layer) by selecting that layer only and exporting current view or by downloading the multi-band mosaic, and then export the calculated indices for the others.