Desktop application overview

The DroneField desktop application runs as a native application on macOS, Windows and Linux. The window is organised into three main columns (a NavigationSplitView). This page covers the navigation and layout; the detailed features are on the following pages.

Application layout

┌────────────┬────────────────────────┬────────────┐
│            │                        │            │
│   LEFT     │        CENTRE          │   RIGHT    │
│  column    │      map canvas        │  project   │
│ (sidebar)  │                        │  details   │
│            │                        │            │
│ • Projects │ ┌──────────────────┐   │ Actions    │
│ • Layers   │ │ MapKit / OSM     │   │ Layers     │
│ • Import   │ │ tiles            │   │ Statistics │
│ • Field    │ │ + overlays       │   │ Drone info │
│   boundaries│ │                  │   │ Area       │
│            │ │ (zoom, pan,      │   │            │
│            │ │  rotate)         │   │            │
└────────────┴────────────────────────┴────────────┘

The left and right column widths are adjustable — drag the divider bars. The left column can also be hidden entirely (⌘⌃S on macOS) for maximum map area.

Left column — sidebar

The left sidebar contains:

• Projects list — every project you’ve made, organised by Year / Region / Client / Field. Click to open; right-click to rename or delete.
• New project button at the top.
• Layers (of the selected project) — toggle them on/off on the map.

Centre — map canvas

The middle is the map — built on MapKit (Apple Maps) or OpenStreetMap (selectable in Settings). On the map:

• Zoom — mouse wheel or ⌘+ / ⌘-
• Pan — left-click drag
• Rotate — two-finger trackpad gesture
• Layers — the project’s processed outputs (orthomosaic, DSM, NDVI, flight path, field boundaries, application map)
• Boundary toolbar — a floating toolbar at the top appears when the Field boundaries layer is active

Right column — project details

Details of the selected project:

• Actions — Import images, Process, Multispectral processing, Generate report
• Layers — toggle visibility, opacity
• Statistics — RTK status, drone model, image count, GSD, area

If no project is selected, an empty-state graphic is shown instead.

Floating panels

Some panels float above the map in specific contexts:

• Boundary toolbar — top of the map, while editing a boundary
• Vegetation index panel — bottom-right of the map when the NDVI layer is on
• Application map panel — bottom of the map when you start the Application mode
• Processing overlay — centre of the map during processing, with the phase indicator

macOS menu bar (top of screen)

DroneField provides:

• DroneField — Settings (⌘,), About, Sign out, Quit
• File — New project (⌘N), Debug submenu (only if you have an active subscription or are in dev mode)
• Edit — standard macOS edit features
• View — Hide sidebar, zoom in/out
• Window — standard window management
• Help — Help link (this site)

Theme (light / dark)

DroneField follows the system theme — if macOS is in dark mode, so is the app. Manual theme switching is not exposed yet.

Map tile layers (satellite, BaseMap) render identically in both modes.

Closing and reopening

When you quit the app (⌘Q):

• The open project is saved automatically.
• The signed-in session is preserved — no re-sign-in at next launch (unless 30 days have passed).
• Only one instance of the app can run; trying to launch a second brings the existing one to the front.

For more, see Sign-in & EULA and Settings.