Starting the Operation

This page shows some important details about how to operate the windows interfaces and menus in SPRING system.

Using SPRING

 


Mouse

The mouse ( ) is the pointing tool most used in the Windows environment. All the menus and sub-menus functions are executed using the mouse. The user moves the mouse cursor (usually an arrow) in the working area (window).

After positioning the cursor over the interest object, the user can manipulate it, just pressing the mouse button.

For SPRING system it does not matter if the mouse has two or three buttons, because only the left and right buttons will be used. When using a three button mouse, the middle button will have the same functions as the right button.
It is defined two standard functions, one for each mouse button.

(LB) - it specifies an object to be manipulated or controlled or were operations will be performed. It displays a control menu which is associated with the cursor location or the selected object.
(RB) - it allows to increase or decrease the number of selected objects and other specific functions in SPRING system, mentioned opportunely.

Next, terms frequently used in the mouse operation are presented, as well as their meaning.

  • Point: it means to place the mouse arrow over the item one wants to point in the window.
  • Click: press and release the mouse button, without moving it. It is used to select an option.
  • Double Click: press and release the mouse button twice, in a quick move.
  • Drag: it means to point and, next, keep the button pressed while moving the mouse.

Next, the operations using the mouse select button (LB), which facilitates a text selection to be edited.
To select a word: double click on the word. The system automatically selects the word, allowing the user to perform editing operations. To delete the selected word hit the backspace key.

To select a paragraph: click on any word or initial character and drag up to the desired point.

 

Page Beginning

 


Windows

It allows the user to control the operations execution. The windows usually are big enough to receive user data and they can be resized according to the necessities.
The windows system allows the user to work in multiple applications. If one wants to reduce the number of opened windows, it is possible to close some of them and let them as icons.


How to move a window: press the mouse LB over any of the lines defining the window or on the window's header (title bar). Take the cursor (the window) to the desired position and release the LB.

How to define overlapping among windows: if there are two or more overlapping windows, the user can change the overlapping order pressing the LB on the window's header of the window one wants on top.

How to change the window's size: click on one of the corners (resizing extremities) and drag it to the desired position.

 

Page Beginning

 


Base Window

The base window is described in this manual as a reference for the elements that one can find in a window and dialog boxes in SPRING system.

The elements of a base window are:

1 ) Header or Title Bar: it has the base window's name which describes the application and the window's menu button. In the help reference will be made using bold, double quotes, and Verdana fontface, as in: "Databases".


2 ) Window's menu button: it indicates the presence of a menu associated to the base window. Normally the menu has the following options: Restore, Move, Dimension, Size, Minimize, Maximize, Hide, Window's List, Dock/Float and Close, this last option can be used to close the application if it is SPRING main window.

The selection operation can be done in two different ways:

  • pressLB on the Control menu box and drag the cursor up to the desired option, and release it.
  • clickusing the LB on the button. This move will fix the menu window and, with a new clicking, it is possible to select the desired command.

 

3 ) Iconization Button: it allows to close the main window and keeps it as an icon, when clicking on this button.

Icons are small application windows that show a minimum amount of data. In most cases, the icons include an application graphical presentation or a dialog window, the application name or the data file name.

It is possible to open the window again, at any time, just double click using the mouse LB on the icon.


4 ) Maximization Button: it allows to resize the main window to the size of the monitor being used.


5 ) Dock/Float Button: it allows to float or to dock a window on the main display.

6 ) Menu Bar: it is where the system options are displayed, each option has an associated menu. Example: SPRING-5.5.3 main window menu bar.


7 ) Tools Bar :
it is where you find the shortcuts of the most common functions of the Spring menu. The following pictures show the menu bar for each module "Spring", in order to access them or hide them select the View - Tools Bar in the main menu of each module. By default the tool bar is presented when the module is started.

The shortcut for the "Spring module are (from left to right):Database, Project, Conceptual Scheme, Information Layer, Scarta, Reload Project, Control Panel, Zoom Cursor, Area Cursor, Point Cursor, Flying Cursor, Info Cursor, Digitizer Cursor, Draw, Zoom In, Zoom Out, Zoom IL, Previous, Reset, Attach, Zoom, Graphs, Windows Cursor, Collor Palette,  Sampling, Scale, Coordinates and About Spring.


Inicio07a.gif - 3525 Bytes

 

The shortcuts for the "Vector Edition" are (from left to right): Type, Contour, Adjusted Nodes, Not Adjusted Nodes, Edit, Line Edition (or Point ), Create, Edit, Remove, Contour Curves, Tools, Update, Undo, Save, Operations Bar, Exit Vector Edition and Help.



 

The shortcuts for the "Raster Edition" are (from left to right): Type, Operation, Class List, Task to be Performed, Remove Task, Remove All Tasks, Execute, Exit Raster Edition and Help.


           

The shortcuts for the "Scarta" are (from left to right): Create Chart, Chart Load, Chart Save, Chart Save As, Create Template, Load Template, Save Template, Save Template As, Close Chart/Template, Features, Elements, Lines, Export, Print and Scarta Help.

Inicio07b.gif - 3351 Bytes

 

The shortcuts for the "Open Image" (Old module Impima) are (from left to right): Open, Save As, Draw, Highlight, Recompose, Materialize on Spring and About Spring.

Inicio07c.gif - 1711 Bytes


8 ) Status Bar : it displays information about: menu selected function description, mouse coordinates in the drawing area, and active information layer.

Inicio07d.gif - 1641 Bytes

 


9 ) Control Area : region where the dialog buttons are presented and the other elements of the base window are presented.


10 ) Drawing Area : region where the visualization graphical commands are executed and drawings and texts are edited. Example: SPRING visualization window and the contrast highlight window, the histogram region.


11 ) Footnote area: it shows messages about the operations.


12 ) Resizing Extremities: it allows the user to change the window's dimensions. To resize the window:

  • take the cursor to the window's boundary, verify if the cursor turned into a tilted arrow, drag the boundary, using the mouse RB, to the window's dimension desired, release the RB and the window will be resized.

 

13 ) Dialog Button: it presents a dialog window associated to it. Example: in SPRING Editor window, the Select button....


14 ) Command Button: this button indicates an operation execution. When pressing it, it is kept shadowed up to the end of the operation.
Example: in SPRING main menu, the Draw button.


15 ) Rolling Bar : it is a kind of control that facilitates the user when visualizing objects, like a text or a list.


16 ) Rolling List : it is an items list where the user can select an item using the rolling bar. To select an option, click using the mouse RB on the desired item, which will be displayed in bold face.


17 ) Scale: this is a control that allows the user to select an interval value, slide the button in the bar.

Operation:

  • press the LB over the bar button, drag the button up to the desired point;
  • releasethe LB, the old scale value is exchanged with the value selected in the bar button.

 

18 ) Options Button: it is represented by a small rectangle. Indicates the presence of an associated menu, with selection options. Example: in the Vector window, the Edit (Lines or Points) option.

 

Operation:

  • click using the mouse LB on the menu button, the options that can be selected are presented;
  • selectthe desired option, the menu is closed and the selected option is indicated at the rectangle side.

19 ) Text Box: the numerical text fields presents information to the user (it is not allowed to change them), or these fields have to be filled by the user with the corresponding information.

Operation:

  • click on the field so the cursor will be displayed, delete the previous text (if there is one) using the Backspace key and type the new text;
  • clickEnter.

 

20 ) The Non exclusive Option Buttons: they are represented by a square, they are independent choices (non-exclusive), that is, it is allowed to have more than one active option at each time. To select an option, click, using the mouse LB on the option. To disable it click, using the mouse LB, again.


21 ) Exclusive Option Buttons: they are represented by diamonds, these choices are mutually exclusive, that is, only one option can be selected at one time. To select an option, click, using the mouse LB, on the option. This option is disable only if the user selects another exclusive option.

Note: The Exclusive or Non exclusive Option Buttons exist only in the classic version of SPRING 5.0.


22 ) Dialog Window: these are windows for an specific application. They can be viewed, iconized or closed, depending on the user requirements.

 

Top of the page

 


SPRING Modules

The SPRING ("Sistema de PRocessamento de INformações Geográficas", Georeferenced Information Processing System) system is structured into three modules: "Impima", "Scarta" and "Spring", in order to facilitate its usage, as function buckets.

IMPIMA
The "Impima" module is used only to get an image in the GRIB format, by reading images using devices such as: CD-ROM, CCT (Computer Compatible Tapes), streamer (60 or 150 MBytes) and DAT (Digital Audio Tape - 4 or 8mm). The images are acquired from the TM/LANDSAT-5, HRV/SPOT and AVHRR/NOAA sensors, or images in the TIFF, RAW and SITIM format.
windows.gif - 1353 BytesThe Windows version only reads images using the CDROM or from files stored in the system.


SPRING
In the "Spring" module, functions related to creation, Database manipulation, data input, digital image processing, digital terrain modeling, and data geographical analysis are stored. It is the main module for geographical data input, manipulation and transformation.
The main window functions, in SPRING
menu bar are divided into: Files, Edit, View, Image, Thematic, DTM, Cadastral, Network, Analysis, Execute, Tools, and Help. For each of these options there is an associated menu with specific operations.

In the File option, the activities related to Database manipulation, Projects, and Conceptual Schemes for a Database are listed. The data import and export from or to other formats and software. Also the register of new images will be part of the project.

The Edit option, allows the user to define the Information Layers for an specific project. The vector data input, using a digitizer or a mouse, is performed in the Vector item. All the internal data conversion among projects, that is, the data exchange among the information layers is performed in the Mosaic item. In the Edit option it is possible to create field algebras using the Legal item.

The View option allows the user to display the Control Panel. This Panel presents the categories, associated to, at least, an information layer, that is, only data from an active project.

The Image option presents exclusive image processing functions, such as Contrast highlights, Filtering, Arithmetic Operations, Main Components, Mixture Model, Classification, Segmentation, IHS-RGB Transformation, TM Restoration, Pixel reading, Noise elimination, and image Statistics. It also allows specific processing tools for Radar Images; Antenna Pattern Correction and Slant-Ground Range Conversion.

In the Thematic option, the Area Computation, Crossing Tabulation, Distance Maps, Lineaments Analysis, Measures, Raster-Vector transformation and Vector-Raster transformation functions are stored.

In the DTM (Numerical) option, the terrain numerical modeling functions are stored. Some of these functions are: Regular and Triangular Grid Generation, Slicing, Image Generation, Contour Lines Generation, Slope, Profile, Volume and 3D Visualization.

In the Cadastral and Networks options, the Editing, Mosaic, and Distance Maps are stored.

In the Analysis option, the object consulting and manipulating is found.

In the Tools option, the Digitizer Calibration, Metrical Operations and Environment Configuration operations are found.

SCARTA

The "Scarta" module presents functions such that a map, generated in SPRING main module, can be presented as a cartographical document in its final format. The module has options for chart editing and printing file generation.

The user has the option of text editing, symbols, legends, lines, grids and frames using planar or geographical coordinates. It allows maps exhibition using several scales, in the raster or vector format, using the "what you see is what you get" (Wysiwyg) format.


Using buttons repeated throughout the windows

The user should notice that in the windows and dialog boxes there are buttons, such as “Activate”, “Apply”, “Create”, “Delete”, “Close” and “Help” which appear in almost all windows.

  • Activate - executes a process such as loading a project and closes the window;
  • Apply - executes an specific function and it might close the window
  • Create - creates a new data and does not close the window.
  • Delete - deletes from the disk a certain data. It does not close the window.
  • Close - closes any dialog box or window, even the application, if selecting it in the main window.
  • Help - executes the on-line help.

“Non Active Functions”

The SPRING was projected such that all windows and dialog boxes have buttons, menus or text boxes that in a certain moment are not enabled. This is related to the active Information Layer at the moment or just because some processing has to be executed before the option is enabled.


Saving Automatically

In the "Spring" main module the user does not need to worry with the data saving operation, because everything executed is automatically saved in the disk. The automatic saving is valid for any function found in the dialog boxes, unless when editing a program using Legal, classification samples and control points in the register.


Logical Sequence Operation

Next, it will be presented the issues the user should pay attention when organizing a framework. As an example, consider an study about soil erosion.

First, define the problem: evaluate the erosion potential in a certain region.
Before entering data, it is first built a model using the erosion as a function of the terrain declivity, soil type and vegetation covering type. These are the required information to work the problem.

It is essential the definition of information extraction models, about geographical data. This module allows the data adequate selection to be inserted in the system and the required interpretation methods.

When dealing with soils more susceptible to erosion, one should know about the different vegetation covering types regarding the hillside contention and about declivity classes favoring the erosion. These knowledge allow the inter-relationship of the different factors contributing for the problem.

Knowing the different sources of information: one should get vegetation covering maps, of declivity and of soil, to built an erosion potential map for the region.

Knowing the system potential to evaluate if the user problem will be solved: the declivity could be computed from the DTM derivation, the soil type could be determined from an existing pedological map digitalization, and the vegetation covering could be obtained from a satellite image classification.

All data input and data manipulation functions mentioned in this example are available in SPRING . However, these functions can not provide the previous existence of a model to forecast the studied phenomenon.

Another aspect to be carefully analyzed is related to the task magnitude. The data input is a kind of task usually underestimated. The availability of personal and suited tools is another essential condition for SPRING success.

Taking into account what was mentioned, training personal to use SPRING has to consider not only the system operators, but also the personal responsible for planning and decision making in organizations, so these ones will have knowledge of the technology being used.

See also:
SPRING Working Environment
About SPRING

Starting the Operation