Navigating the toolbar
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Before you begin using Earth Index to search the planet, it is important to learn about its interface and how to navigate.
In Earth Index, you can use your cursor to navigate N/S/E/W on the map and to zoom in/out of the selected region, using standard map navigation (click, drag, and use mouse wheel to zoom).
Once you've entered your project, you'll see a small toolbar on the right side. This toolbar has a series of 5 options that help you navigate and label the map.
The first three modes help you navigate and assign labels, while the latter two describe a type of label.
As you are making labels with the pointer or paint brush, you can choose between tiles that are looking for (positive) and tiles that you're not looking for (negative). You can use the thumbs up/down buttons to toggle between the type of label you're assigning.
On the bottom of the screen, there are three different tools available.
Your longitude and latitude are displayed. If you want to shift to a different known location, click on the coordinates and enter the new location in the pop-up.
By clicking the layer symbol, you can select which "Basemap" to use in Earth Index. Currently, we offer Mapbox Satellite, Mapbox Outdoors, and Sentinel-2. Sentinel-2 is the default selection.
When zoomed out, a button will appear called "Zoom in to draw". When clicked, it will zoom in close enough to allow you to select tiles. You will now see the tiles pop up underneath your cursor. From afar, you are unable to select and label individual tiles, so this button enables you to automatically zoom further in and place labels!
To return to Earth Index's home screen and find other projects, click the purple and white "e" in the top-left corner.
If you prefer to use your keyboard, we've built in some keyboard shortcuts to streamline your navigation of Earth Index. Click on the keyboard symbol in the top right to learn how to toggle between toolbar options and how to undo/redo changes.
Pointer: Use this to add positive or negative labels to tiles on the map. When a tile is labeled, it will be highlighted in blue.
Paint Brush: Use this to designate large areas with positive or negative labels quickly.
Eraser: Use this to remove mistakes.
If you're looking for additional keyboard shortcuts, feel free to share any feedback with our team in Discord or at .
