Why Build It?

Key Goals:
- Display large volumes of geospatial assets on an interactive map.
- Support search/filtering by Product, Order, AOI, and metadata.
- Highlight non-STAC-compliant assets (currently hidden in the table).
- Provide basic polygon info (Product, Order, etc.).
- Explore AOI drawing for Catalog/Tasking queries.
- Enable temporal comparison of overlapping footprints.
Future Considerations:
- Integration of CNAM quick looks & previews.

Solution

Approach: Pure design exploration (no implementation) | Research: 5 user interviews (~1 hour each)

Biggest Pain Point: Users struggled with spatial context—needed to see assets on a map rather than just a table.
No Industry Benchmark: Competitors lacked similar functionality, requiring close user collaboration during design.
Technical Constraints:
- Dependent on STAC/Asset Service APIs.
- Upgraded from default maps to Mapbox for better performance/UX.

Prototyping (Figma):
- Interactive Map Layer: Visualize assets with clustering for high-density areas.
- Filter Panel: Search by Product, Order, AOI, or custom metadata.
- Non-STAC Alerts: Clearly tag non-compliant assets.
- AOI Tools: Draw polygons to generate Catalog/Tasking filters.
- Temporal Comparison: Side-by-side time-slider for overlapping footprints.
Validation:
- Tested with the same 5 users—map view reduced cognitive load for spatial tasks.

Mapbox Integration: Replaced the base map for smoother rendering and custom styling.
API Alignment: Ensured designs accommodated STAC metadata and Asset Service limits.

User-Centric Workflow: Geospatial navigation became faster and more intuitive.
Foundation for Expansion: Laid groundwork for New imagery previews and advanced filtering.

"No existing solution" ≠ "No user need"—deep research uncovered unaddressed pain points.
Constraint-Driven Innovation: Mapbox was a strategic upgrade within API dependencies.