Observations Overview

Observations Overview



The Observations section in SolarGain is where all visual images relating to a solar plant are stored and managed. It has replaced the old Visual Reports area, bringing together images from different sources into one central place.

Image sources:
  1. Mobile uploads - These images would be uploaded from SolarGain Mobile (SGM) when a site technician uploads any images from the Inspections area
  2. Portal upload - Any images that are uploaded through the portal from the Add New Items tab
  3. Autonomous robotics - For sites that use autonomous drones or robots, the images would also appear in Observations
Every image in Observations belongs to an item. Items may be linked to a component on the plant map, or shown with a GPS marker if no component link exists. This ensures that all uploaded images can be organised, located, and reused in reports and task lists.

Observations is available at the solar plant level in the portal and is divided into four tabs: Dashboard, Map, List, Add New Items

Observations general functionality

The data in any tab can be filtered using the Advanced Filter button. The choice of filter criteria are:
  1. Uploaded by - Full name of the user who uploaded the images
  2. Image source - How the image was uploaded; Mobile, portal or autonomous drone
  3. Component - Any onboarded components for that solar farm (modules, trackers, transformers, etc.)
  4. Location - The name of the location if the component is linked e.g. If a table has been linked, the table name can be searched
  5. Block - For sites with blocks, each area can be filtered
  6. Category - This is the list of pre-determined categories to describe the image
  7. Subcategory - This is the list of pre-determined sub-categories to describe the image, aligning with the category
  8. Description - This is an optional description added to the item
  9. Rating - Items can be given a rating of N/A, Poor, Below Average, Average, Good, Excellent
  10. Shared with - If any other "interest" organisations are given permission to view the items, they can be filtered here


There is a date tool which defaults to month. The reason why it defaults to "month" is to save the page loading time, in case there are thousands of images.  If you do not see any images, try changing the setting to a year, or custom date picker.



Permissions

Access to Observations is based on the person uploading the images. The following roles are:
  1. Creator – can upload, edit, delete, and share items.
  2. Editor – can edit existing items.
  3. View-only – can see items and add them to tasks.
These permissions ensure that data is secure while still allowing collaboration within and across organisations.

Dashboard

The Dashboard gives you a summary of the images stored for the plant. This provides a quick way to understand the scope of available images and their status before you dive into more detail. The dashboard shows the following:
Images - The total number of images uploaded
Items - If a group of images were uploaded against a particular component, this item would contain multiple images. Most items would just contain one image.
Users - How many users have contributed to the Observations



Charts

Each chart has hover capabilities that show more information on the data displayed.
  1. Image source - This pie chart displays where images came from (for example, SolarGain Mobile, portal uploads, or autonomous drone).
  2. Breakdown by category and subcategory - Any of the pre-determined categories/subcategories will be displayed in the chart. The categories are on the Y axis, the bars show the subcategories.

  1. Breakdown by rating - This chart displays the count of ratings of N/A, Poor, Below Average, Average, Good, Excellent
  2. Breakdown by component - This chart displays each relevant component. If a component isn't selected at the time the item was created, it will be labelled as a GPS marker.


Uploaded by user - This table shows who uploaded the images, how many and when. This is sorted by last updated date.


Map

The Map view displays images geographically. Items appear as markers or component highlights on the solar plant map. Selecting a marker pin or component opens a right drawer with key details, including:
  1. Category, sub-category and rating
  2. Description and location information
  3. The component name and type (e.g. module, inverter)
  4. Upload source and date
  5. Who uploaded or last modified the item


From here you can also:
  1. Open images in a carousel viewer with zoom controls
  2. Add items to tasks
  3. Edit or delete items (if you have permission)
  4. Share items with other organisations (if they are set up as "interests" for that solar plant)


List

The List tab shows all items in a table format. Each row represents an item, with columns for key details such as category, description, component information, and upload date. This tab is ideal when you need to work with multiple items at once or when you prefer structured data over map-based navigation.

The List view is useful for:
  1. Sorting and filtering items using the advanced filter tool.
  2. Selecting one or more items to edit, share, or add to tasks.
  3. Exporting data to CSV, Excel, or downloading images as a ZIP file.


Add New Items

The Add New Items tab allows you to upload images directly into Observations from the portal. Each uploaded image becomes a new item that can be categorised and geo-tagged, ensuring it appears correctly in both the Map and List views.

This feature replaces the old "Image Upload" page and ensures all uploads are tied to a specific solar plant, keeping data consistent and easy to find.

Rules for uploading images:
  1. Images must be geo-tagged
    1. If the images are taken on a smart phone, location services and geotagging must be enabled
    2. Any other cameras must be GPS enabled so that geotagging can be integrated into the images
  2. Images must be smaller than 10Mb. Any images over that size will not be uploaded
Page features
  1. User can drag/drop images from hard drive or click on "choose images" button
  2. Categories and subcategories will help provide a standardised description (optional)
  3. Description is an optional free text field, should further explanation be needed
  4. Rating can be added to either show as positive or negative evidence on site (optional)
  5. Images can be removed before uploading
  6. Please note that each image uploaded through the portal will be uploaded as an individual item (i.e. there will be 1 image per item)
    1. SolarGain mobile enables user to add multiple images per item, where portal does not


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