Before you start: the big picture¶
There's so much more to spectral exploration than just turning on layers and looking for red spots.
What you get out of a targeting pass¶
When done properly, a target pass allows you to narrow down a license-wide area to a few places that are worth walking. The data that is produced during a pass helps you justify committing to field work in each area.
What sensors can see, and what they can't¶
A satellite spectrometer reads the surface skin of ground that is exposed. What you find are alterations - the chemical changes that fluids leave in rock as they pass through, usually spread much wider than the deposit itself. You won't find ore at depth, or anything under soil, till or canopy. Magnetics, described in Phase 8, can see under cover where the body has a magnetic contrast and your grid is fine enough to resolve it.
What you're working toward¶
A Spectral Target is a spectral result which has been confirmed in the Analogy Lab feature. Independent evidence makes it stronger, but the confirmed curve is what makes it a target rather than a lead. A spectral target is not a discovery; it is a case for ground-truthing. It does not tell you about depth, grade or tonnage, and it doesn't replace a sample or a hole.
Ignacy is here if you get stuck¶
Ignacy is the AI-assistant in the corner of the screen. Ignacy is integrated with the platform and has geological knowledge. You can ask him to interact with your exploration project, like "add layers", "remove all layers", "change thresholds". At the moment he cannot build masks, draw shapes, or order data. When working with Ignacy it's best to treat its geology advice like a colleague thinking out loud rather than a source to cite in your rationale. If Ignacy says that it cannot help with something, try to rephrase the question.
If you only remember one thing¶
Remember the term Spectral Feature Fitting (SFF). Where EMIT covers your ground, it's the most reliable mineral match in the platform, better than SAM or GSI, and still wrong often enough that Phase 7: Validate in the Analogy Lab needs to exist. Everything else either supports SFF or uses it.