Active Area Layer

In the context of the Volume tab of the ribbon and the Volumetric Analysis workflow in LP360, an area layer refers to a feature layer that defines the spatial boundaries—polygons—used to calculate volumes such as stockpiles, borrow pits, or catchment basins.

🧭 What Is an Area Layer?

An area layer is a polygon-based feature layer that represents the base perimeter (often called the "toe") of the object or terrain feature being measured. It is used to define the extent of the volume computation and is essential for generating accurate results in the Volumetric Analysis Point Cloud Task (PCT).

• It can be created manually, extracted automatically (e.g., using the Toe Extractor PCT), or imported from existing shapefiles.
• It must be conflated to the ground surface Z to ensure accurate elevation modeling.

📌 Role in the Volume Tab Workflow

In the Volume tab of the LP360 ribbon:

• The Active Area Layer dropdown lets users select which area layer to use for volume computations.
• This dropdown is user-friendly, allowing easy selection and switching between multiple area layers.
• The Compute Volume uses the selected area layer to define the base geometry for volumetric calculations.
• The Quick Compute Volume uses the selected area layer to create the base geometry for volumetric calculations.
• The Review Area Features uses the selected area layer for review and edits before running the Volumetric Analysis.

🧪 Workflow Integration

Here’s how the area layer fits into the volumetric workflow:

1. Import or Create Area Layer
   • Define the polygon boundary of the area to be measured.
   • Ensure it is properly conflated to the ground surface Z.
2. Review and Edit
   • The Area Review/Edit section allows users to reshape, split, or simplify area polygons.
   • Users can run volumes on selected areas only, avoiding full-layer computations.
3. Execute Volume Computation
   1. Use the Volume tab to specify output settings (e.g., Cut-Fill method, units).
   2. Results are calculated between the base (area layer) and the hull (surface).

🧠 Advanced Use Cases

• Switch area layers without changing the volumes layer, allowing accumulation of results across different areas.
• Interactively add volume results back to the area layer for comparative analysis.

How to Select an Area Layer

1. Click on the dropdown arrow on the Active Area Layer Selector on the Volume tab.
2. In the menu that appears, select the desired area feature layer.