Spectral Bands

Table of contents
  1. Overview
  2. Band Properties
  3. Viewing Bands on a Payload
  4. Adding a Band to a Payload
    1. Step 1 — Open the Payload detail page
    2. Step 2 — Open the Add Band form
    3. Step 3 — Fill in the form
    4. Step 4 — Save
  5. Editing or Deleting a Band
  6. Visualising Bands in the Timeline Application
  7. Permissions Summary

Overview

Spectral Bands define the wavelength ranges that a Payload (instrument/sensor) operates in. Each band describes a narrow window of the electromagnetic spectrum that the instrument observes. Bands are the link between the physical hardware (Payload) and its scientific capability.

All wavelength values in EORSA-DB are expressed in nanometers (nm).

Band Properties

Property Type Description
Name string (required) Full name of the band (e.g., Band 1 — Blue).
Short Name string (required) Abbreviated identifier used in charts (e.g., B1, VNIR-1). This label appears on the Y-axis of the Spectrum Coverage view.
Definition text (required) Free-text description of the band’s purpose and spectral characteristics.
Center of Band double (nm) Central wavelength of the band in nanometers.
Spectral Width double (nm) Full width (bandwidth) of the band in nanometers.
Data Source string Reference to the source document or specification from which the band data was taken.
Related Payload Payload link The parent Payload that carries this band. Set automatically from context when creating via a Payload’s detail page.
Attachments file list Attached documents or drawings related to the band.
Illustrative Images image list Images illustrating the band (e.g., spectral response curves).

Viewing Bands on a Payload

  1. Navigate to Data → select System as subject.
  2. Find the system and click its row to open the detail page.
  3. Scroll to the Spectral Bands section.

The section lists all bands defined for this payload, showing their Name, Short Name, Center of Band, and Spectral Width.

Screenshot of a Payload detail page with the Spectral Bands table visible, showing several bands with Center of Band and Spectral Width columns

Adding a Band to a Payload

Adding a band requires the AddCoreData permission.

Step 1 — Open the Payload detail page

  1. Navigate to Data → select System as subject.
  2. Find the system and click its row to open the detail page.
  3. Click on the three dots, on the top right of the page, and click Edit.

Payload

Step 2 — Open the Add Band form

In the Bands section, click the + Add Band button (or Add button if shown).

The Add Band side panel opens.

Screenshot of the Add Band side panel showing all fields: Name, Short Name, Definition, Center of Band (nm), Spectral Width (nm), Data Source, and the attachment/image upload areas

Step 3 — Fill in the form

Field Required Guidance
Name Yes Use a descriptive name (e.g., Band 1 — Blue, Thermal Infrared).
Short Name Yes Concise identifier used in the Spectrum Coverage chart (e.g., B1, TIR).
Definition Yes Describe the band’s purpose, what it measures, and any design constraints.
Center of Band (nm) No Central wavelength in nanometers. Example: 665 for the red Sentinel-2 B4 band.
Spectral Width (nm) No Full-width bandwidth in nanometers. Example: 30 nm.
Data Source No From where this data comes from
Attachments No Upload relevant files (PDFs, spec sheets).

The Related Payload is automatically set to the current payload — you do not need to fill this in manually when adding through the payload detail page.

Step 4 — Save

Click Save to add the band. It appears in the Spectral Bands table of the parent payload.

Editing or Deleting a Band

To edit a band:

  1. Open the payload’s detail page.
  2. In the Spectral Bands table, click the band row.
  3. The band’s detail / edit panel opens. Modify the fields and click Save.

To delete a band:

  1. Open the payload’s detail page.
  2. In the Spectral Bands table, use the Delete action on the band row.

Deleting a band is permanent. It removes the band from the Spectrum Coverage visualisation in the Timelines application.

Visualising Bands in the Timeline Application

All defined spectral bands can be seen plotted on a wavelength axis in the Spectrum Coverage view of the Timelines application:

  1. Navigate to Timelines.
  2. In the view toggle bar, click Spectrum Coverage.
  3. Use the payload filter to select which payloads to include.
  4. Each band is drawn as a horizontal bar centred on its Center of Band wavelength, with a width matching the Spectral Width.

See Timelines Application for more details.

Permissions Summary

Action Required Permission
View bands AccessOtherDataButProgrammatics
Add a band AddCoreData
Edit a band ModifyCoreData
Delete a band ModifyCoreData