A subject group is a collection of subjects or other subject groups. EarthRanger map layers are created from subject groups, which determine how subjects are displayed and filtered on the map.

Important Notes:

• A subject does not appear in the map view until it is added to a subject group.
• Users can only view subject groups they have permission to access.

Viewing Subject Groups in EarthRanger Administration

To view subject groups, navigate to Home > Observations > Subject Groups. Here, you can:

• View all EarthRanger subject groups
• Add or delete a subject group

Adding Subject Groups

Subject groups can be organized in a hierarchy. For example, you can combine "elephants-bulls" and "elephants-cows" into "elephants-all."

Note: This process is made through the EarthRanger site’s admin page, you need specific credentials for this process. (See: How to log in to ER Admin) 

To add subject groups: 

1. Click Observations > Subject Groups.

2. Select Add Subject Group.
3. Enter a name for the subject group. 
   Note: This is the name that will be displayed on the User Interface Map layers.

4. Select subjects to include in this group. 

5. To nest subject groups, select the subject groups to include.

6. Set permissions for the subject group.  
   1. Typically leave this field blank.  The Permission Set will be created and added automatically when saved.

7. Click Save and return to the subject group list.

Map Layers Created from Subject Groups

The subject groups and their subjects are displayed as map layers in EarthRanger.

Granting Permissions to View Subject Groups

The Permission Sets section identifies the access configuration, typically just one, used to grant entry to this Subject Group. Think of it as the “key” that unlocks these subjects. When users are assigned this configuration, they can see the Subjects within the group.

For more about permissions related to subject groups, visit Permission Sets