This knowledge base support document is relevant to users who have received Maxar archive or tasking products. The instructions below apply to all available Maxar products on the SkyWatch platform (WorldView-1, WorldView-2, WorldView-3, GeoEye, and Legion).
Maxar data will be temporarily delivered in the format described below, as SkyWatch will soon announce full integration into our applications. The data will be provided in a zip folder containing all necessary files for opening the imagery and viewing the metadata.
To access the data, users will need a GIS program. We recommend two of the most commonly used programs in the remote sensing and satellite data industry: QGIS and ESRI ArcPro.
Viewing Maxar Data on QGIS
If not already installed, download and install the most recent version of QGIS to correctly view the image: https://www.qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html
Download the zip folder from your account (EXPLORE, HUB, or ArcPro add-in) by selecting the COG (All bands) option.
The folder structure of the Maxar dataset looks as follows (see below). You will need to unzip the folder once it has finished downloading.
Important: Do not rename or move any files within this folder structure.
Starting with the unzipped file, ensure that you do not rename or move any files within the Maxar folder structure.
Navigate to the folder named similar to 200006049999_01_P001_PSH
Within the 200006049999_01_P001_PSH (_PAN for WV01 orders) folder, drag and drop the .TIL file into the main QGIS window. For example: “23MAY27162713-S2AS-200006049999_01_P001.TIL.”
This TIL file will automatically load all the associated TIFF files.
The entire image, with all tiles assembled, is then rendered in QGIS.
If you check the Layer Properties, you can view all available bands and change which bands are currently displayed. To do this, go to the Layers Pane, right-click the image, select Properties, and then navigate to the Symbology tab.
The bands will not be labeled in QGIS or ordered correctly, as Maxar delivers them in the BGRN format (4-band example).
To view the band ordering and each label, open the .IMD document located in the same folder as the .TIL file.
Example of .IMD file containing Maxar metadata
The order of bands for a 1-band Maxar product is as follows:
Panchromatic
The order of bands for a 4-band Maxar product is as follows:
Blue
Green
Red
NIR
The order of bands for an 8-band Maxar product is as follows:
Coastal
Blue
Green
Yellow
Red
Red-Edge
NIR-1
NIR-2
For 4-band products, you will have to change your Red and Blue band in QGIS to Band 3 and 1 to view a True Colour image.
For 8-band products, you will have to re-arrange all of the bands to put RGB as the first 3.
Exporting Maxar Data as TIF on QGIS
If needed, you can export the image as a single TIFF file:
(a) In QGIS, right-click the image in the Layers Pane, then select Export > Save As.
(b) In the “Save Raster Layers As” window, select Raw Data to create a TIFF file that includes all original bands (16-bit) and pixel values, or choose Rendered Image to save a smaller 8-bit RGB image.
Viewing Maxar Data on ArcPro
If not already installed, install the most recent version of ArcPro software (https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-pro/overview).
Important: ArcPro does require an ESRI subscription.
Repeat steps 2-4 from the QGIS instructions: download the zip folder and unzip it in your local directory of choice. However, unlike the QGIS instructions, we will be working with the .IMD file instead of the .TIL file (the .IMD file is not readable in QGIS).
Open ArcPro, create a new project, and add the location of the folder containing the unzipped Maxar data to the project.
Then, add the .IMD file by selecting Add Data.
Navigate to the folder named similar to 200006049999_01_P001_PSH
Within the 200006049999_01_P001_PSH folder, select the .IMD file and add to your ArcPro project.
Add the .IMD file to the project. The bands will re-order to RGB so no requirements to adjust the bands in the products symbology is needed.
Exporting Maxar Data as TIF on ArcPro
In your ArcPro project, right-click on the Maxar product you wish to export and select Data > Export Raster.
On the right side of the screen, the “Export Raster” information will appear.
To export a simple TIFF, you only need to set the “NoData Value” to 0 and click “Export.”
Note: Ensure that the X and Y cell sizes match the original data, as the Export Raster tool may default to lower sizes.
If you need to compress the TIFF file size or ensure the RGB colors you see in the ArcPro project, select “JPEG” for the compression type and check Force RGB under “Render Settings.”
Final Product