X

NV5 Geospatial Blog

Each month, NV5 Geospatial posts new blog content across a variety of categories. Browse our latest posts below to learn about important geospatial information or use the search bar to find a specific topic or author. Stay informed of the latest blog posts, events, and technologies by joining our email list!



New ENVI Agent, IDL Agent, and GeoAgent Quick Guides

New ENVI Agent, IDL Agent, and GeoAgent Quick Guides

6/9/2026

The recent release of ENVI® Agent, IDL® Agent, and GeoAgent™ revolutionize how users interact with geospatial software. These agentic AI applications act as partners to plan, simplify, and execute complex workflows. Knowing where to start can be challenging for new users. To this end, we developed three new quick guides to... Read More >

Introducing NISAR Data Support

Introducing NISAR Data Support

6/5/2026

The release of ENVI® SARscape 6.3 in April 2026 includes preliminary support for NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) data. The NISAR mission is a joint Earth-observing satellite project between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization designed to monitor changes in the planet’s land and ice surfaces using advanced radar imaging. It... Read More >

Monitoring Illegal Mining in the Amazon: Turning Persistent Data Into Actionable Insight

Monitoring Illegal Mining in the Amazon: Turning Persistent Data Into Actionable Insight

5/28/2026

Illegal mining over decades has constituted one of the most persistent and complex socio-environmental problems in the Brazilian Amazon. In recent years, with the increasingly intensive use of mechanized extraction, the associated environmental impacts—such as deforestation, intense soil disturbance, river siltation, and mercury... Read More >

From Answers to Action: Why ENVI and IDL Agents Go Beyond General AI

From Answers to Action: Why ENVI and IDL Agents Go Beyond General AI

4/20/2026

As generative AI tools like Claude and Gemini continue to gain traction, many organizations are asking the same question: Can general purpose AI actually support real geospatial workflows, or does it stop at surface-level answers? That question was front and center in our recent webinar, Meet Your New Partners in Science: ENVI... Read More >

Mapping Earthquake Deformation in Taiwan With ENVI

Mapping Earthquake Deformation in Taiwan With ENVI

12/15/2025

Unlocking Critical Insights With ENVI® Tools Taiwan sits at the junction of major tectonic plates and regularly experiences powerful earthquakes. Understanding how the ground moves during these events is essential for disaster preparedness, public safety, and building community resilience. But traditional approaches like field... Read More >

1345678910Last
«June 2026»
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
31123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
2829301234
567891011
21857 Rate this article:
4.5

ENVI: Adding custom polygons to the display

Anonym

A recent project I worked on required custom polygons – Controlled by my application – to be added to the ENVI display.  The following code defines an object class that allows the user to place a polygon in the ENVI display using window coordinates.  To run the application:

  1. Save the code that follows to a file named envi_polygon_example.pro
  2. Open and compile the file in the IDLDE
  3. Execute the following at the IDL command prompt

  4. envi_polygon_example

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;+

; Lifecycle method for destroying the object

;-

pro my_polygon::Cleanup

  compile_opt idl2, logical_predicate

  self->Destruct

end

 

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;+

; Cleans up the member variables of the object class

;-

pro my_polygon::Destruct

  compile_opt idl2, logical_predicate

  self->IDLmiManipGraphicOverlay::Cleanup

  self->IDLmiManipLayer::Cleanup

  self->IDLgrPolygon::Cleanup

end

 

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;+

; Lifecycle method for initializing the class

;

; :Returns:

;   1 if the object initializes successfully and 0 otherwise

;  

; :Params:

;   xy: in, optional, type="int"

;     a [2,n] array containing the [x,y] points in window coordinates

;  

; :Keywords:

;   POLYGONS: in, optional, type="int"

;     An integer array of one or more polygon descriptions.  See IDL help for

;     IDLgrPolygon for more information

;   _REF_EXTRA: Used to set properties of the inherited IDLgrPolygon

;-

function my_polygon::Init, xy, $

  POLYGONS=poly, $

  _REF_EXTRA=refExtra

  compile_opt idl2, logical_predicate

  void = self->IDLmiManipGraphicOverlay::Init(_EXTRA=refExtra)

  if ~void then begin

    return, 0

  endif

  self->InitializeDataspace

  self->SetupManipulatorGraphics

  self->InitializeGraphics

  if n_elements(xy) then begin

    self->SetProperty, DATA=xy, POLYGONS=poly

  endif

  if n_elements(refExtra) then begin

    self->SetProperty, _EXTRA=refExtra

  endif

  return, 1

end

 

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;+

; This method initializes the data space used by the graphics layer

;-

pro my_polygon::InitializeDataspace

  compile_opt idl2, logical_predicate

  e = envi(/CURRENT)

  eView = e->GetView()

  eView->GetProperty, _COMPONENT=ecfViewGroup

  oDS = ecfViewGroup->GetDescendants(BY_TYPE='DATASPACE', /FIRST_ONLY)

  self._oTargetDS = oDS

end

 

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;+

; Initializes the graphics components of the class

;-

pro my_polygon::InitializeGraphics

  compile_opt idl2, logical_predicate

  void = self->IDLgrPolygon::Init(COLOR=[255,0,0], /PRIVATE, THICK=2)

  self._oGrOverlay->IDLmiContainer::Add, self

end

 

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;+

; This method is for setting class properties

;-

pro my_polygon::SetProperty, $

  DATA=data, $

  POLYGONS=poly, $

  _REF_EXTRA=refExtra

  compile_opt idl2, logical_predicate

  if n_elements(data) then begin

    self->SetData, data, POLYGONS=poly

  endif

  if n_elements(refExtra) then begin

    self->IDLgrPolygon::SetProperty, _EXTRA=refExtra

    self->IDLmiManipLayer::SetProperty, _EXTRA=refExtra

  endif

end

 

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;+

; This method maps the points from window coordinates to map coordinates and

; adds the mapped points to the IDLgrPolygon.

;

; :Params:

;   xy: in, required, type="int"

;     A [2,n] array of points (In window coordinates) to be added to the polygon

;

; :Keywords:

;   POLYGONS: in, optional, type="int"

;     An integer array of one or more polygon descriptions.  See IDL help for

;     IDLgrPolygon for more information

;-

pro my_polygon::SetData, xy, $

  POLYGONS=poly

  compile_opt idl2, logical_predicate

  self._oTargetDS->WindowToVis, reform(xy[0,*]), reform(xy[1,*]), xVis, yVis

  self->IDLgrPolygon::SetProperty, DATA=transpose([[xVis],[yVis]]), $

    POLYGONS=poly

end

 

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;+

; Class structure definition

;-

pro my_polygon__define

  compile_opt idl2, logical_predicate

  void = {my_polygon                    $

    , inherits IDLmiManipGraphicOverlay $

    , inherits IDLmiManipLayer          $

    , inherits IDLgrPolygon             $

    }

end

 

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;+

;-

pro envi_polygon_example

  compile_opt idl2, logical_predicate

  e = envi(/CURRENT)

  if ~isa(e, 'envi') then begin

    e = envi()

  endif

  file = FILEPATH('qb_boulder_msi', ROOT_DIR=e.ROOT_DIR, SUBDIRECTORY=['data'])

  eRaster = e->OpenRaster(file)

  eView = e->GetView()

  eLayer = eView->CreateLayer(eRaster)

  xy = [[470,140],[560,140],[560,230],[470,230], $

    [750,115],[1200,115],[1200,665],[750,665]]

  conn = [4,0,1,2,3,4,4,5,6,7]

  oPolygon = obj_new('my_polygon', xy, LINESTYLE=5, POLYGONS=conn, STYLE=1)

end

Please login or register to post comments.