Dapple Help

Getting Started

Welcome to the Dapple Help Center. The following topics will help you start browsing, discovering and displaying geoscience data. 

• Download and install Dapple
• About Dapple
• System requirements
• FAQs
• Dapple interface
• Find data
• Display data
• Mouse and key shortcuts

Download and Install Dapple

1. To download, go to http://dapple.geosoft.com/default.asp and click the "Download Dapple" icon. For system requirements and additional installation help, go to http://dapple.geosoft.com/requirements.asp
2. Once you have downloaded "dapple-setup-2.1.4.exe" go to the directory you saved it to, and run it. The Dapple Setup dialog will be displayed.
3. Follow the directions on the dialogs that appear. When the Installation Completed dialog is displayed, click the [Finish] button to complete the installation process.

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Dapple Interface

Dapple, Geosoft's global data explorer, is designed to provide an open and optimal environment for visualizing, presenting and sharing massive quantities of geoscientific data. Dapple, enables you to browse, discover and display graphically rich data from global and corporate spatial servers – Geosoft DAP servers, NASA servers, USGS servers, ArcIMS servers, and the many, many WMS servers currently available. The easy to use interface contains five data view windows and six main menus. See the Data view windows and Main menus tables below for more details.

Data View windows

Global Explorer and Navigation	The Global Explorer and Navigation tools (top right) provides an interactive 3D globe that enables you to view and position the selected data from a satellite altitude to any location on earth.
Search	The Search window (top left) enables you to Search all available "Servers" or the "Web", using both spatial extents and keywords. The search results can be viewed in either List view () or for "Servers" in Tree view () and for the "Web" in Thumbnail view (). Note: When the "Servers" tab is displayed in "List view" the results are displayed for one server at a time. Note: The "Web" search includes an automated cataloging system that is continually updating itself.
Data Layers	The Data Layers window (middle left) includes all the selected data and enables you to control the display features and organise the data layers for optimal viewing.
Overview map	The Overview map window (bottom left) enables you to select an area or using the dropdown list, a specific region of the globe, for the best possible view of your data.
Metadata	The Metadata window (bottom right) displays the Metadata that is associated with the currently selected dataset. The selected dateset can be from either the Search or the Data Layer window.

  Main Menus

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Find Data

The ability to access data from global and corporate spatial servers (Geosoft DAP servers, WMS servers, ArcIMS servers, NASA servers, and USGS servers) along with the Internet is a powerful and insightful way to work with spatial data. Dapple provides effective data browsing tools for locating geoscience data, satellite imagery, remote sensing data, geology maps, geophysical data, and many other data sets of interest to geoscientists.

1. Open Dapple.
2. To specify the spatial extents you can use the Global Explorer and Navigation tools, or in the Overview map window you can select an area (including the entire globe) or select a specific region using the dropdown list. You can further focus your Search criteria by entering "Keywords" in the text box () provided. To clear the search parameters, click the Clear search ( ) button.
3. In the Search window, select the "Servers" tab and click the Search () button. The Available Servers will be searched for any data that falls within your spatial extents and matches your keywords. (Note that, when you select the "Web" tab the Internet will be searched for data files that falls within your area of interest and matches your keywords.) The results, which are displayed on the "Servers" or "Web" tabs, and can be viewed in either List view or Tree view (for Servers) or Thumbnail view (for Web).
4. To view your search results, the selected dataset(s) must be added into the Data Layers window. To do this, select (highlight) a dataset from the "Servers" Tree view or select multiple datasets from the List view. Note that, you can also select multilpe datasets from both the "Web" List and Thumbnail views. Then, right-click and from the popup menu, select Add to Data Layers.
   The selected data will be added to the Data Layers window (Note that you can also use Drag-n-Drop to move the "Search" result datasets to the "Data Layers" window).
5. In the Data Layers window you can use Drag-n-Drap to organise the data layers for optimal viewing. Any metadata associated with the selected Data layer, will be displayed in the Metadata window.
6. To create a GeoTIFF snapshot of your current view, click the Create a GeoTIFF snapshot () button. Specify the GeoTIFF name and directory and click the [OK] button. A GeoTIFF of your current Global Explorer view will be created.
7. For more information on all the available options, see the table below.  

Search window

Tools	What it does
<Alt> S	Click the Search button to search the selected Servers for any data that falls within your spatial extents and matches your keywords. Press the <Alt> S keys to search the Web for any data that falls within your spatial extents and matches your keywords.
	Click the Clear search to clear all of your search parameters.
	To perform a text search, type in the box provided and click the Search button. The active Servers and the Web will be queried and the data matching the search parameters will be displayed.
	The "Servers" search results can be viewed in either List view () or Tree view ().
	The "Web" search results can be viewed in either List view () or Thumbnail view ()..
	Click the Left and Right Arrow buttons to navigate through the available "Servers" and "Web" List and Thumbnail search results.
Right-click menu items	What it does
	Select Add DAP Server and enter the URL for the DAP Server on the dialog provided. Click here for more information on Adding a DAP Server.
	Select Add WMS Server and enter the Capabilities URL for the WMS Server on the dialog provided. Click here for more information on adding a WMS Server.
	Select Add ArcIMS Server and enter the URL for the ArcIMS Server on the dialog provided.
	Select Properties to display the Properties dialog. This interactive dialog displays the properties of the selected item. Properties that are not grayed-out may be edited.
	Select Set as Favourite to enable Dapple to open this Server automatically from the start. Note that the "Favourite" server will be indicated by the bold font used for the server name.
	Select Add Browser Map to Data Layers to add the Browser Map for the selected DAP Server as a Data Layer (Note that this option is only available for DAP Servers).
	Select Refresh to refresh and update the currently selected server.
	Select Enable/Disable to enable or disable the currently selected server. (Note that if a user attempts to disable a server that is set as favourite, the system will present a warning message.)
	Select Remove to remove the selected server from Dapple search.
	Select Add to Data Layers to add the selected search results data file(s) to the Data Layers window.
	Select View Legend to display the legend, in html format, that is associated with the currently selected item.

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Display Data

Once you have selected a data set of interest in the Servers window, right-click and from the popup menu, select Add to Data Layers (or double-click on the selected data) and the data will be displayed in the Data Layers window (middle-left) and when checked () is visible in the global explorer view, uncheck to remove (hide) from the global explorer view.

The Layers tools are provided to enable you to control the display features, including the transparency and view window. Use Drag-n-Drop to specify the rendering order of the selected data layers in the global explorer view. See the Data Layers table below for more details.

Data Layers window

Tools	What it does
	Move the Transparency slider bar from right to left to increase the transparency of the currently selected layer.
	Click Go To to dynamically rotate the global view to display the area of the currently selected layer.
	Click Remove data layers to to remove the currently selected layer from the Data Layers list.
	Click Create a GeoTIFF snapshot to create a GeoTIFF snapshot of your current view.
Right-click menu items	What it does
	Click Go To to to dynamically rotate the global view to display the area of the currently selected layer.
	Click Move layer up to move the currently selected layer up one level in the Layers list.
	Click View Legend to view the legend of the currently selected data layer.
	Click Refresh to refresh the currently selected data layer.
	Click Clear Cashe to clear the cashe for the currently selected data layer.
	Click Remove to remove the currently selected layer from the Data layers list.

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Navigation Tools

Once you have displayed your selected data layers you can use the Navigation Tools to better view the data in the global view window.

Mouse and key shortcuts

Download Dapple shortcut keys guide

Navigation and overview map window

Tools	What it does
	Click the Zoom In button to zoom into the global view. Click and hold to continue zooming in until you release. Zoom In is also available by turning your mouse wheel or by using the "+" shortcut key, when your cursor is positioned in the global view.
	Click the Zoom Out button to zoom out from the global view. Click and hold to continue zooming out until you release. Zoom Out is also available by turning your mouse wheel or by using the "-" shortcut key, when your cursor is positioned in the global view.
	Click the Tilt Up button to tilt the global view upwards. Click and hold to continue tilting until you release. Tilt Up is also available by right-clicking on the global view and dragging the mouse upward or by using the "W" shortcut key, when your cursor is positioned in the global view.
	Click the Reset Tilt Only button to reset the tilt changes made to the  global view. Reset Tilt Only is also available using the "T" shortcut key, when your cursor is positioned in the global view.
	Click the Tilt Down button to tilt the global view downwards. Click and hold to continue tilting until you release. Tilt Down is also available by right-clicking on the global view and dragging the mouse downward or by using the "S" shortcut key, when your cursor is positioned in the global view.
	Click the Rotate Counterclockwise button to rotate the global view in a counterclockwise direction. Click and hold to continue rotating until you release. Rotate Counterclockwise is also available by right-clicking on the global view and dragging the mouse or by using the "A" shortcut key, when your cursor is positioned in the global view.
	Click the Reset Heading To North Only button to reset the rotation  changes made to the  global view. Reset Heading To North Only is also available using the "N" shortcut key, when your cursor is positioned in the global view.
	Click the Rotate Clockwise button to rotate the global view in a clockwise direction. Click and hold to continue rotating until you release. Rotate Clockwise is also available by right-clicking on the global view and dragging the mouse or by using the "D" shortcut key, when your cursor is positioned in the global view.
	Click the Reset All button to reset the view of the global view. Reset All is also available using the "space bar" shortcut key, when your cursor is positioned in the global view.

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What version of DirectX and .NET do I need?

Dapple uses the Managed Extensions for DirectX (MEDX), which exposes DirectX 9 to managed code. NONE of the operating systems come with MEDX by default, as it is not part of the core DirectX package.

Users can get the Managed Extensions for DirectX from the DirectX End-User Runtimes (the latest version of this is February 2010, available at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0CEF8180-E94A-4F56-B157-5AB8109CB4F5&displaylang=en). MEDX can be installed on any of the five operating systems listed.

Almost every XP computer will already have some version of MEDX already installed from some program they have installed in the last three years. Vista and 7 computers often as not are missing MEDX.

For MEDX, if a user attempts to install Dapple on a computer that is missing MEDX, the install will display a message telling them they are missing MEDX and will provide a link that they can follow to obtain it. The installer will then close.

For .NET, no specific check is made. But a user will be prompted to install during start-up. However, Vista and 7 come with .NET 2.0 as an OS component.

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