Filtering Dynamic MIL-STD-2525D Entities on a Live Map – Feasibility & Best Approach?

Question

I am currently using dynamic entities to display entities on the map. These entities are based on MIL-STD-2525D symbology and receive data from multiple sources.

I am seeking guidance on:

Feasibility – Whether my desired outcome is currently possible.
Implementation – If possible, what would be the best approach?
Desired Outcome
I want users to filter entities on the map based on a selected attribute (e.g., MIL-STD-2525D SIDC). For example, a user should be able to display only Friendly Fixed-Wing Aircraft while the filter remains active.

Entities should continue updating in real-time while the filter is applied.
Users should have the option to clear the filter, restoring the display of all active entities.
Would appreciate recommendations on achieving this functionality effectively.  Using both Java SDK 200.6 and Kotlin

RodneyBowden · Answer

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I am familiar with the use of Graphics and FeatureLayers. I wanted to share a quick video to illustrate what I am looking for. As shown, I have multiple entities dynamically updating on the map, along with a few graphics. My goal is to allow users to apply a filter to view, for example, all currently active hostile drones on the map. Any advice greatly appreciated.

troyfoster · Answer

My map uses Qt, but the different Esri SDKs are mostly comparable so I am going to try to answer this.

Feasible to display 2525D symbology? Yes.  The term you want to look for in the documentation and samples is DictionaryRenderer.  That is the renderer which uses a stylx file from Esri to display the 2525 symbols.

Implementation?  You have 2 options that I know of.  Either Graphic/GraphicsOverlay or Feature/FeatureLayer.  On both Graphic and Feature there is an attributes map of key/value pairs.  For each you would want to set the "sidc" attribute to be the symbol id code from your data sources.

Filtering? This is where the big difference between Graphic and Feature is in my eyes.  With Graphic you would have to iterate through all the graphics and set the isVisible variable appropriately.  With FeatureLayers there is a definitionExpression setting that can be set once for the entire layer as a sql where statement, probably looking at the different values for the different characters in the symbol id code specification.

Updating in real time while filter is active? Yes that is just a matter of calling setGeometry on the specific Graphic/Feature as needed.