Quick Start - CATALYST Professional Focus

The purpose of this tutorial is to familiarize you with the CATALYST Professional Toolbar, as well as the visualization of data while using Focus.

All of the data utilized within this tutorial is available for download on our website:

• Windows Demo Data
• Ubuntu 22 Demo Data

Once the data installation is complete, the default location will be:

• Windows - C:\PCI Geomatics\CATALYST Professional\demo.
• Ubuntu - /opt/catalystpro/demo

Starting CATALYST Professional

To start CATALYST Professional, you may select either of the following steps:

1. Double-click the CATALYST Professional desktop icon
2. Launch CATALYST Professional from the Start Menu (Start > All > CATALYST Professional > CATALYST Professional Toolbar)

When you start Professional using the desktop icon, the CATALYST Professional Toolbar opens and Focus starts automatically. All CATALYST Professional applications can be started either from the toolbar itself or through the Start menu.

CATALYST Professional Toolbar

The CATALYST Professional Toolbar provides access to all Professional programs.

Figure 1 - The CATALYST Professional Toolbar

Each icon (button) on the toolbar will provide access to a specific Professional program. These can also be run separately through the Start menu. Below is a breakdown of the specific programs that are accessed through each button:

Name	Description	Icon
Focus	Focus is the main data visualization environment in CATALYST Professional. Focus includes geospatial processing algorithms, data capture functionality, and information extraction and analysis tools.
OrthoEngine	OrthoEngine is a complete photogrammetry environment, offering geometric correction, orthorectification, mosaicking, and DEM extraction functionality, as well as 3-D visualization and data extraction environments.
Mosaic Tool	The Mosaic Tool provides low-resolution representations of all of the images that will be included in the output mosaic. Here, you create high-quality mosaics, review, edit, and modify individual images.
Modeler	Modeler is a visual scripting environment that provides an interactive methodology for developing, automating, and batch-processing both simple and complex workflows.
EASI	EASI is a command-line-based scripting environment that provides workflow development as well as customization functionality.
Chip Manager	The Chip Manager lets you create and manage image chip libraries that are used as ground controls in orthorectification workflows.
FLY!	FLY! is a visualization tool that renders perspective scenes and interactive ‘fly-throughs’ by using imagery and elevation information.
SAR Polarimetry Target Analysis	SAR Polarimetry Target Analysis (SPTA) lets you load a polarimetric SAR data set, choose a target selection mode, apply coherent decomposition, and display and save information about a data set in numerical and graphical order.
Historical Airphoto Processing	Historical Airphoto Processing (HAP) is a customized software program that automates the correction of historical imagery. You can properly prepare historical data and set up workflows to create high-quality mosaics that are aligned and orthorectified perfectly.
Commuter License Utility	This utility is used to check out a commuter license from the license server.
CATALYST Earth Website	Allows users access to the CATALYST Earth Webpage, where you may learn additional information about various offerings from CATALYST.
Toggle	By selecting the button, the CATALYST Professional Toolbar switches from Landscape to Portrait.
Help	Provides users with access to online help where they can learn about specific algorithms or terms included within CATALYST Professional.
Exit	Closes the CATALYST Professional Toolbar.

Viewing Data in Focus

When CATALYST Professional is started, Focus will start automatically. The following illustration shows the basic components of the Focus interface.

Figure 2 – Focus Interface
A. Maps and Files Tab B. Menu bar C. Work area D. Toolbar E. View area F. Status bar G. Overview window

CATALYST Professional Focus is designed to work with geospatial data in more than 100 data formats through PCI Geomatics Generic Database (GDB) technology. This format flexibility, combined with a suite of easy-to-use viewing tools, makes Focus the perfect environment for viewing spatial data.

A major strength of Focus is its ability to easily view and navigate databases. This section will show you how to open and view image layers, vectors, and attribute data in Focus.

Viewing Image Data In Focus

With CATALYST Professional Focus started, you are ready to add data.

To open an image file in Focus:

1. In the Focus File menu, click Open. The File Selector window opens.
2. In the CATALYST Professional program files, locate and open the demo folder.
3. In the demo folder, select irvine.pix.
4. Click Open. A Landsat multispectral image of Irvine, California, opens in the Focus view area.
5. Alternatively, the file can be dragged and dropped from the folder into the Focus work area.
6. You can also drag and drop the image into the Maps tab.

Figure 3 - The irvine.pix image in the Focus View area

Viewing Vector Data In Focus

When a file is loaded into Focus, a default layer is presented in the viewer and listed in the Maps tree. All other layers contained in the same file are listed in the Files tree. It is possible to load any of these layers into the viewer and the Maps tree.

To add a layer to the Maps tree:

1. Click the Files tab. A list of available files and layers is displayed from irvine.pix.
2. Expand the vector layer list of irvine.pix by clicking the next to it.
3. Right-click the Transportation layer and click View on the shortcut menu. The transportation layer displays in the Maps tree as well as in the viewer.

Adjusting Layers In The Current View

In Focus, the Maps tree displays all data layers contained in the View area. You can show or hide the items from the View area by clicking or clearing the check box in the Maps tree next to the item. You can also change the display priority of a layer by dragging it up or down the Maps tree.

To move a layer in the Maps tree:

1. Click the Maps tab.
2. Drag the Transportation layer to the bottom of the Maps tree. The transportation vectors move below the imagery and do not display in the View area.
3. Drag the Transportation layer to the top of the Maps tree. The transportation vectors display in the View area.

View Data Attributes

Attributes are characteristics of geographic features typically stored in tabular format. In Focus, attributes can be viewed and edited using the Attribute Manager.

To open the Attribute Manager:

1. In the Maps tree, right-click the transportation layer.
2. From the shortcut menu, click Attribute Manager. The Attribute Manager opens.

Two attributes are included in the transportation layer. ShapeID is a shape identifier, and Attribute is a code indicating road class for each vector segment.

Zoom And Pan Tools

When viewing data in Focus, it is important to be able to navigate the data effectively. The Zoom and Pan tools allow you to do this quickly and easily.

Figure 4 - Focus Zoom and Pan tools

Zoom Tools

There are several ways to zoom an image in the Focus viewer. The following Zoom tools are located on the Focus toolbar:

• Zoom To Overview
• Zoom Interactive
• Zoom In
• Zoom Out
• Zoom 1:1 Image Resolution

To zoom in on an image feature:

1. Click anywhere near the airport (t-shaped object) in the Focus View area.
2. On the Focus toolbar, click to Zoom to 1:1 Image Resolution button. The image changes to a 1:1 resolution.

Pan Tool

The Pan tool is available when the View area is not at an overview magnification.

To pan an image:

1. On the Focus toolbar, click the Pan button.
2. Drag the image to the desired location you want to move.

Image Enhancement In Focus

The Focus toolbar includes commands for quickly enhancing and adjusting the appearance of your images. These enhancements include contrast and brightness adjustments.

Figure 5 - The Focus image Enhancements, Contrast, and Brightness buttons

Applying Image Enhancements

The standard Focus image enhancements are Linear, Root, Adaptive, Equalize, and Infrequency. Image enhancements can be automatically applied using the Enhancements menu.

To apply an enhancement to an image layer:

1. On the Focus toolbar, click the arrow next to the Enhancements button.
2. Select an enhancement from the Enhancements menu.
3. Alternatively, you can click on the Advanced Contrast and Brightness icon and get even finer adjustments for the red, blue and green bands.

Adjusting The Image Contrast And Brightness

Interpreting image data is often made easier by adjusting the image contrast and brightness.

To increase or decrease the image contrast or brightness:

1. On the Focus toolbar, click the arrow next to the Contrast or Brightness button.
2. Select Decrease or Increase from the menu, depending on how you want to adjust the image.
3. Alternatively, you can click on the Advanced Contrast and Brightness icon and get even finer adjustments for contrast and brightness.