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 │ ┌──────────────────┐   │ Project    │
│ • Actions  │ │ MapKit / OSM     │   │  info      │
│ • Layers   │ │ tiles            │   │ Statistics │
│            │ │ + overlays       │   │ Drone info │
│            │ │                  │   │ Area       │
│            │ │ (zoom, pan,      │   │            │
│            │ │  rotate)         │   │            │
└────────────┴────────────────────────┴────────────┘

The left column width is adjustable — drag the divider bar; the right column has a fixed width. 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, grouped by client. Click to open; right-click to rename or delete.
• Create new project button at the top.
• When a project is open: Actions — Import images, Process.
• Layers (of the selected project) — toggle them on/off on the map: flight route, orthomosaic, DSM, MS index / RGB index, boundaries, 3D map. (The application map is a panel opened from the boundary toolbar, not a layer.)

Centre — map canvas

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

• Zoom — mouse wheel / two-finger scroll, or pinch
• Pan — left-click drag, or ⇧ / ⌘ + scroll
• Rotate — two-finger trackpad gesture
• Layers — the project’s processed outputs (orthomosaic, DSM, MS index / RGB index, flight route, boundaries)
• Boundary toolbar — a floating toolbar at the top appears when the Boundaries layer is active

Right column — project details

Read-only details of the selected project:

• Project data — year, region, client, name (pencil icon to edit)
• Statistics — RTK status, drone model, image count, GSD, area
• Imported data
• Header icons: Open project folder in Finder and Refresh data

The processing buttons are not here — Import images and Process are in the left sidebar’s Actions section.

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 window (over the lower part of the right column) when the MS index / RGB index layer is on; it also holds the AI analysis button
• Application map panel — bottom-left of the window (over the lower part of the left column), opened with the Application button of the boundary toolbar
• Processing overlay — centre of the map during processing, with the phase indicator

macOS menu bar (top of screen)

DroneField provides:

• DroneField — About, Settings… (⌘,), Hide, Quit (⌘Q)
• File — New Project… (⌘N)
• Edit — standard macOS edit features
• View — standard macOS view commands (sidebar, full screen)
• Window — standard window management
• Help — DroneField User Manual (opens this site)

To sign out, use the Log out button in Settings.

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.