CHAPTER 03

WORKING WITH ANNOTATIONS

An annotation is a critical or explanatory comment. In FishVue Interpret Pro, you can use annotations to help identify specific activities or events that have occurred based on your examination of the data; for example, activities that commonly warrant annotations include fishing trips, setting of fishing gear, hauling of set gear, and catch items.

NOTE: This chapter applies to FishVue Interpret Pro only. The features described here are not offered or supported by FishVue Interpret Lite.

3.1 About Annotations

An annotation is a tool you can use to flag milestones along a cruise track (such as trip, set, haul, catch item) and to describe an unusual or unique event (a general comment annotation).

Unlike notes, annotations cannot be created at sea. They may only be added and saved within FishVue Interpret Pro. Whereas a note can be used by crew or service technicians to communicate with the data analysts in the office, the annotation is used exclusively by the data analyst in the review process.

3.1.1 Hierarchy of Annotations

A customized hierarchy of annotations can be developed for a project. The hierarchy breaks down a data set into different types of events, with the longest spanning event type occurring at the top of the hierarchy and the shortest spanning event at the bottom. For example, a data set may be divided into “trips” (upper level of the hierarchy), within each trip are “fishing activities,” and within each fishing activity are the catch records.

3.1.2 Types of Annotations

FishVue Interpret Pro uses four types of annotations: interval, point, group, and item annotations.

NOTE: Each annotation type may use specific validation rules (for example, a “Trip” may require both a start and end point). If a validation rule is not met, the annotation icon is flagged with an exclamation mark and highlighted in yellow.

• An interval annotation is attached to an interval of time and is defined by a start point and an end point. Interval annotations may describe processes such as trips, sets, and hauls.
• A point annotation is attached to a specific date/time and location point in the data and may describe notable events such as catch items.
• Group annotations (such as fishing activity) are used to group annotations together.
• Item annotations (such as sensor performance) are used to record additional observations outside of the data.

3.2 Creating Annotations

Depending on the type of annotation, the method for creating it is slightly different. This section describes how to create each annotation type.

3.2.1 Creating Interval Annotations

Interval annotations are created by defining both a start and an end point. The start and end points depend on the specific fishery and methodology being used.

To create an interval annotation:

1. Right-click on the starting point on the map, time series, or cruise track table. A list of available annotation types is displayed, with available annotations listed in black and unavailable annotations greyed out. Note that some interval annotations lower on the hierarchy will not be available until the higher-level annotation has been entered (for example, a set annotation is only available after a trip has been defined).
2. From the list, select the appropriate annotation (for example, Add trip). An icon appears marking the starting point.
3. Right-click on the desired end point, and from the list that appears, choose the appropriate end point (for example, Mark end of trip).

Once you have created a start and end point, left-click on either point in the time series or map to highlight the interval. Clicking on the start or end point will also open the annotation details, where you can edit and delete the annotation. You can also adjust the time/date of a start or end annotation by dragging it right or left.

If the new annotation is highlighted yellow, one or more validation rules have been violated. You may need to provide more information to satisfy the rule. Validation rules are custom to each configuration package and are intended to verify that all required information is complete.

3.2.2 Creating Point Annotations

Point annotations occur at a specific moment and are associated with only one data point.

To create a point annotation:

1. Right-click on the exact point on the map, time series, or cruise track table. A list of available annotation types is displayed, with available annotations listed in black and unavailable annotations greyed out. Note that some point annotations are not available until higher-level annotations have been created.
2. From the list, select the appropriate annotation (for example, Comment). An icon appears marking the point. You can adjust the time/date of the annotation by dragging it right or left.

If the new point is highlighted yellow, left-click on it and click Edit to add the required information.

3.2.3 Grouping Annotations

Some customized configuration packages allow you to group other annotations together using a group annotation. A common example is grouping a set and a haul annotation (two interval annotations) under a single fishing activity (a group annotation).

FishVue Interpret Pro offers a few ways to do this: you can group annotations in the Annotation Tree window by clicking and dragging them into position, or you can associate one event with a related event when creating annotations on the map or time series by selecting the appropriate group option from the popup menu.

Grouping Fishing Events Using the Annotation Tree Window

To group fishing events using the Annotation Tree window:

1. Open the Annotation Tree window. From the Annotations menu, choose Open Annotation Tree Window.
2. In the Annotation Tree window, left-click on a fishing event and drag it over to the appropriate fishing activity.

Grouping Fishing Events Using the Map or Time Series

When creating annotations on the map or time series, you can associate one event with a related event by right-clicking and using the To Fishing Activity dropdown menu. Note that the first set or haul annotation you create will automatically be contained within its own fishing activity. All subsequent fishing event annotations can be added to a new or existing fishing activity.

NOTE: The popup menu provides options to add the annotation to the eight most recent fishing activities and the eight nearest fishing activities. If the appropriate fishing activity does not appear in this list, the fishing activities must be linked using the Annotation Tree window.

To group fishing events using the map or time series:

1. On the map or time series, right-click on the cruise track to add a set annotation.
2. Right-click on the cruise track where you would like to add the haul annotation. A popup menu appears. An arrow beside some annotation types indicates that more grouping options are available.
3. Point to the haul annotation type to display additional options. A second list appears where you can select the existing annotation you want to associate the new annotation with (identified by time or distance).
4. Click the existing event to create the corresponding new annotation.

3.2.4 Item Annotations

Custom configuration packages may include item annotations, which are designed as an entry point for information not recorded by the EM system. These annotations are not linked to a data point but are linked to a higher-level annotation in the hierarchy. The information fields are completed by the data reviewer and are customized based on the fishery or project requirements. Item annotations are not displayed in the time series or map, and are only createable and accessible through the Annotation Tree window.

3.2.5 Using Keypad Shortcuts

Keypad shortcuts can be set up for any annotation but are most useful for specific point annotations such as catch items during the video review process. While reviewing video footage, you can use your keyboard’s numeric keypad to enter a large number of annotations quickly and easily.

Using shortcut keys, you can quickly select an entry (for example, the “species” of a particular catch) and then choose the appropriate details from a shortcut menu (for example, “retained” or “released”), or simply accept the default data. In this way, you can streamline the process of creating video annotations.

Using Shortcut Keys

Before you can use keypad shortcuts, you must first set up a default value for each shortcut key; for example, you may configure the #1 key to create the annotation “catch item: cod,” and the #2 key to create “catch item: sturgeon.”

In some cases, shortcut keys will have already been configured when the software was installed. If no shortcuts have been assigned, or you would like to change or create new ones, refer to “Configuring Shortcut Keys” below.

When you press a shortcut key, a small black square marker icon appears on screen to indicate where your annotations will be displayed as you enter them. You can click and drag this icon around your screen.

NOTE: If pressing a keypad key does not display an annotation, check to ensure that your keyboard’s Num Lock key is on.

NOTE: Some annotations can only be created after higher-level annotations exist. For example, a video haul annotation must be created before catch annotations can be created.

When you enter an annotation using a shortcut key, the default data selection appears to the right of the marker icon along with a numbered list of alternatives. You can press ENTER to accept all default selections, or press the corresponding number key to select one of the alternatives. Press the + key on your numeric keypad (or the Tab key) to progress through each field in sequence. If you need to edit the last entry created, press the / key to display an Edit window. If the desired item does not appear on the quick list, press the * key to display all possible entries for that field. To discard an annotation in progress, press the ESC key.

To create a catch annotation using shortcut keys:

1. Play the video or double-click on the desired point, then press the number key associated with the annotation you want.
2. Press ENTER to accept a default data entry, or update the fields using the numeric keypad (pressing + or Tab to move between fields).
3. Once you have completed your data entry, press ENTER to accept the annotation and continue.

Configuring Shortcut Keys

To configure keyboard shortcuts:

1. From the Annotations menu, choose Edit Keyboard Shortcuts. The Annotation Shortcuts box is displayed.

NOTE: The Annotation Shortcut box includes two checkboxes. Select Show Edit Window to display additional details that you can modify, or select Pause Video to have FishVue Interpret automatically pause video playback whenever you’re entering an annotation.

2. Click Switch to Compact View to display the compact keypad view.
3. To create a shortcut, click the button next to the number you want to use. The Annotation Shortcut box is displayed. Here you can define the type of annotation and specify default annotation data for that type. Depending on the annotation type, the box will display values appropriate to that annotation.
4. Specify the annotation type and any default annotation data, then click OK.

Customizing the Field Sequence

At the bottom of the Annotation Shortcuts box is a Field Sequences area. Here you can choose which data fields will appear and in what order when you enter keypad shortcuts.

To customize the field sequence:

1. In the full view Annotation Shortcuts box, go to the Field Sequence section and choose a category (for example, “catch item”) from the list that appears. Click Add New Field Sequence to accept the new category.
2. In the new field, click and choose a value (for example, “Species”) from the list.
3. In the next field, click the arrow and choose another value (for example, “Fate”) from the list.
4. To delete a field, click the delete button beside it. To change the order of fields, click and drag the field to the new location.
5. Once finished, click OK to accept your changes and close the Annotation Shortcuts box, or continue to customize quick lists for some of the fields.

Customizing Quick List Options

When using keypad shortcuts, you can choose which items appear in the quick list and the number associated with each. By default, the quick list displays the most commonly used items, with each selected item moving up the list until it appears as the #0 option. For shorter lists of nine items or fewer (for example, “fate”), you may prefer to keep the same keypad number associated with each item.

To customize a quick list:

1. Once you have created a field in the Field Sequences area, click the button in the new field to display a list of options. Choose No Quick Select List (to offer the most commonly selected items automatically), Create New List (to build a custom list), or Manage Lists (to edit an existing quick list).
2. In the Quick Select List box, type a label for your list. Click next to each numbered field to choose an item to associate with that keypad number.
3. Once you have selected your list items, click OK to save your changes.

Previous Chapter   Next Chapter