Annotations

Annotations

StanagOnDemand Server provides robust support for geographic annotations, enabling users to visualize overlays on a map. These annotations enhance situational awareness by allowing users to mark areas of interest, draw zones, etc.

Annotations can take the form of:

  • Polygons
  • Lines (polylines)
  • MultiPolygons
  • Points

Each annotation is associated with one or more geographic drawings and can be created manually or imported.

Use Cases

  • Marking no-fly zones or restricted areas
  • Annotating mission targets or patrol paths
  • Overlaying pre-recorded surveillance data
  • Creating collaborative map annotations for mission planning

Features

  • Multiple Drawing Types: Each annotation can include one or more geometries.
  • Geographic Anchoring: Annotations are tied to specific locations using geographic coordinates.
  • Manual Creation: Users can create annotations directly through the user interface.
  • GeoJSON Import: Users can import existing annotations using the standard GeoJSON format.
  • GeoJSON Export: Users can export annotations in GeoJSON format.
  • Visualization: Annotations are rendered on top of the map as vector layers.
  • Hidden Annotations: Users can hide specific annotations. This preference will persist across sessions for that user.
  • Access Control: Access Control: Annotations can have restricted access set by an Admin or Group Admin.
  • Dynamic Fetching: Only annotations that intersect with the currently visible map area are fetched from the server.

Annotations map

Creating Annotations

  1. Navigate to the annotation table in the StanagOnDemand UI. Annotation table
  2. Press Add annotation button.
  3. Fill in general annotation information such as the title, description, etc. Annotation general
  4. Select the Map tab and draw the annotation geometry.
  5. You can sync with the server’s last map center by clicking the Sync Map Center button located in the bottom-left corner of the map.
  6. Set annotation properties, like color, opacity, etc.
    Annotation map
  7. Press OK to submitt the annotation.

Importing Annotation

You can also import GeoJson file created with other tools, for example geojson.io

Import annotation

Note. The GeoJSON must be of the FeatureCollection type.

Editing Annotations

To edit the annotation, select it in the table and click the Edit Annotation button. You can use Full Screen mode and other available tools.

Mote. To edit the properties of a geometry, select it by clicking on it.

Annotation Table modes

StanagOnDemand Server provides a table view mode for managing annotations. This tabular interface offers users a structured overview of available annotations and supports efficient browsing and filtering.

Annotation modes
Display Options:

  • All Annotations: Users can choose to display all annotations that they have permission to access. This mode is useful for reviewing or managing annotations across multiple geographic regions.
  • Filtered by Map Area: Users can also restrict the table view to only those annotations that fall within the bounding box of the currently visible map area. This dynamic filtering helps focus on relevant annotations tied to the region currently in view.
    This functionality improves user workflow by reducing clutter and ensuring that only contextually relevant annotations are shown based on map navigation.

Annotation Presentation on the Map

To optimize performance and enhance responsiveness when dealing with a large number of annotations across different geographical areas, the StanagOnDemand Server only fetches annotations that intersect with the bounding box of the currently displayed map area. This ensures that only relevant annotations are loaded and rendered.

Interaction and Customization

Local Visibility Control: Users can hide specific annotations by selecting the Hide option in the annotations table. This action is local to the user and is stored in the browser's local storage.

Hover Tooltips: If a title has been provided for an annotation's geometry, it will be displayed as a tooltip when the user hovers over the geometry on the map.

Map-to-Table Synchronization: When a user clicks an annotation on the map, it is automatically selected in the annotations table, providing a seamless link between the map and the table view.

Automatic Synchronized Presentation

Annotations in StanagOnDemand Server are presented in a synchronized manner to ensure real-time collaboration and situational awareness among users.

  • Live Updates: Newly created annotations will automatically appear on the map for all currently logged-in users who have the appropriate access rights and whose map view includes the annotation's geographic area.
  • Persistent Hiding: Users can choose to hide specific annotations using the Hide option in the annotations table. This preference is stored in the browser's local storage, will persist across sessions, and does not affect other users.
  • Deletion Propagation: When an annotation is deleted by any authorized user, it is removed for all users immediately. This ensures a consistent and up-to-date view of shared geographic data. Additionally, the deleted annotation's ID is automatically removed from the list of hidden annotations for all users.

Exporting annotations

Users can export annotations that are currently visible in the annotations table by clicking the Export button. This feature allows for easy sharing, backup, or external use of annotation data.

The exported data will be formatted as an array of GeoJSON objects.

Only annotations currently filtered and shown in the table will be included in the export.

🔐 Access Control & Permissions

Access to annotations can be controlled through authorization and authentication. Permissions vary by user role:

👑 Admin & SuperAdmin

  • Access: Full access to all annotations
  • Edit/Delete: Can edit or delete any annotation, including Restricted ones

👤 Regular Authenticated Users

  • Access:
  • All unrestricted annotations
  • Annotations belonging to their user group
  • Edit/Delete:
  • Can edit or delete only non-restricted annotations

👥 GroupAdmin

  • Access:
  • Same as regular users
  • Extra Permissions:
  • Can edit a annotation’s Restricted attribute
  • Can delete restricted annotations

Conclusion

The annotation support in StanagOnDemand Server enables powerful geospatial mapping features for both real-time and planning operations. Whether drawing freehand or importing structured GeoJSON, users have flexible tools to represent geographic information efficiently.