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Frequently asked questions

General

Use the application

What is ArcGIS Excalibur?

ArcGIS Excalibur is a web-based, imagery application that modernizes and enhances image-based workflows through intuitive experiences. These experiences enable you to search for, discover, and work with imagery in fully integrated workflows for image analytics and exploitation.

For more information, see What is ArcGIS Excalibur.

What is required before installing ArcGIS Excalibur?

Prior to installing ArcGIS Excalibur, you need an ArcGIS Enterprise 10.7 or later base deployment with ArcGIS Image Server authorized with ArcGIS Server. You can install the base deployment on one or more machines, any of which can be physical, virtual, or cloud machines.

For more information on hardware and software requirements, see ArcGIS Excalibur system requirements.

How do I install and authorize ArcGIS Excalibur?

Download ArcGIS Excalibur from My Esri by logging in with your Esri account that is associated with your customer number. ArcGIS Excalibur should be installed on the machine where Portal for ArcGIS is installed.

Once ArcGIS Excalibur is installed, an authorization file must be obtained and authorized.

For more information on installing and authorizing, see Install and authorize ArcGIS Excalibur.

How is ArcGIS Excalibur licensed?

ArcGIS Excalibur is a premium application and requires a separate portal license file. You must have a Creator or GIS Professional user type with the appropriate roles before an ArcGIS Excalibur license can be assigned to you.

For more information, see System requirements or Assign members an ArcGIS Excalibur license.

Is ArcGIS Excalibur available in ArcGIS Online?

No. ArcGIS Excalibur is not available in ArcGIS Online and is only available in ArcGIS Enterprise 10.7 and later.

Can I customize ArcGIS Excalibur using an API?

No. ArcGIS Excalibur does not support customization using an API.

Is ArcGIS Excalibur designed for a specific persona?

No. Anyone who wants to discover, analyze, report, and efficiently disseminate image derived information to consumers can use ArcGIS Excalibur. Users include all-source analysts, imagery analysts, and imagery and geospatial managers in industries such as national security, emergency response, local and federal government, humanitarian relief, and public works.

Where can I obtain an imagery web service URL?

You can obtain an imagery web service URL to through any of the following:

  • Content tab of your Enterprise portal—You can search My Content or My Organization's Content for the layer type imagery layer.
  • ArcGIS REST Services directory (for example, https://<host.domain.com>/<webadaptor>/rest/services)—Many services defined as an ArcGIS Image Server Service denoted by (ImageServer) can be a supported service.
  • Your organization's GIS administrator.

For more information on using imagery web service URLs, see Explore an imagery web service.

Why are there no images returning when I search in the imagery catalog?

Ensure that your Search Settings filters and map extent is set to properties and a location where imagery exists for the selected imagery service layer in the Catalog Layer Switcher located at the bottom left corner of the catalog search map

If no layers are available in the layer switcher list, a message appears stating such. To populate the Catalog Imagery Layer Switcher list, click My Available Imagery in the Results panel to enable imagery service layers of interest for use in the imagery catalog search.

Why doesn’t my image support rendering in image focus view?

Image focus view is available on images that have sensor transformation information, such as rational polynomial coefficients (RPC) or frame cameras. Not all image services contain imagery with this sensor information.

For more information on the image focus view, see Use image views.

Why don't images show up in the image layer footprints?

Images may not display in the Image Catalog when Toggle Image is enabled or in the Imagery Exploitation Canvas in the Map Focus Panel due to a visibility scale range set on the image service. Try zooming in closer on the image footprint to get the image or set of images to appear.

Why do some imagery service layers have more measurement options?

The Measurement Tool dynamically reads in the metadata and capabilities set on the image service. The measurement options available will depend on the imagery service layer you are working with.

Why don't I see project tools in my Tools panel?

Project tools are only available when you open an imagery project in the imagery exploitation canvas. The Create Observations and Create Many Observations tools are only available when you open an observation imagery project.

For more information on creating an imagery project, see Create an imagery project.

Does an observation layer require a specific schema?

Yes, an observation layer requires a specific schema to be utilized in an observation imagery project. When creating a new observation imagery project, you can choose to select an existing observation layer that meets the required schema or choose to create a new observation layer which will automatically add the required schema to the new layer.

For more information on an observation layer, see Select observation layer.

How can I change the sharing setting on my imagery project?

Imagery projects can be shared with your organization or can be left private during the guided workflow when creating a new imagery project. At Excalibur 1.0-1.2, imagery projects are saved in a folder called Excalibur Imagery Projects in My Content. Any imagery project created after v1.2 will be created in a folder based on the name of the imagery project. You can change the share setting for your imagery projects in the portal.

Will my custom defined user settings still work if I access the application from a different machine?

Yes. User settings are stored and saved with your portal identity allowing you to access the ArcGIS Excalibur application on different machines in different locations while maintaining your customized experience.

Can I use content created in ArcGIS Excalibur in other ArcGIS applications?

Yes. ArcGIS Excalibur uses the ArcGIS platform and its information model to consume and create content that can be applied to other ArcGIS applications. In particular, content created in an observation type imagery project is written to a hosted feature service and can be used in other applications such as Map Viewer and ArcGIS Pro and web applications such as Operations Dashboard and Insights for ArcGIS. You can also use exported views from the imagery exploitation canvas in Esri Story Maps templates.

Does ArcGIS Excalibur support non-query enabled services?

Yes. You can view and work with imagery that is non-query enabled. Although these types of image services do not support cataloging capabilities, you can still visualize this imagery in the exploitation canvas while using the many tools available to work with the image service.

Can I save my mark up in the imagery exploitation canvas?

Yes. You can save mark up in the imagery exploitation canvas as a base project and refer to it later. To learn more about saving your mark up in canvas, see Save mark up to a project.

How do create an observation imagery project?

All imagery projects start out as base imagery projects. However, you can add a new or existing observation layer to your base imagery project to change it to an observation imagery project through the project details. See Create a new observation layer to learn more about observation layer creation.

Can I continue working in ArcGIS Excalibur while my hosted imagery layers are publishing?

Yes. You can continue your work in Excalibur while your hosted imagery layers are publishing. You can monitor the progress of your imagery through the App Notices. For more information, see Publish hosted imagery.