4.1 Classifying images
When you have finished importing your images, return to the ZIP Classifier Home Screen, click on the (yellow) folder of images you wish to classify, and click ‘Classify’.
The classifying screen will automatically open, as in the example here.
1
Image field: Your images will display on the left-hand side of the screen.
2
Species list: The species list will appear to the right.
3
Auto Advance: This allows you to set an optional time delay between the assigning a classification to an image and automatically advancing to the next image. By default, this is set to 50 milliseconds, which is the shortest possible delay. While you are familiarising yourself with the process, you may prefer to set this for a longer period.
4
Image name and number of images: These are detailed at the bottom-left of the screen, and enable you to keep track of your progress.
5
Number of animals: This field allows you to record when more than one individual of a species is captured. By default (unless the image or auto advance controls are selected), the number keys from 1 to 9 will change this number. If you need to enter 10 or more, use the increase/decrease arrows.
6
Comment: This field allows you to add one comment to the image, from the list of comments you set during the installation process (refer to Section 2). To add a comment, click on the dropdown menu in the Comment field, select the relevant comment, and then proceed with classifying.
To classify an image, enter the keystroke associated with the object detected (e.g. ‘H’ for Human). The classification will be highlighted in the species list, before the Classifier automatically advances to the next image. You can also use the mouse to select classifications from the list.
If you have made a mistake, or need to edit a classification, you can use the forward and back arrow keys to revisit the image.
If multiple species have been captured in an image, you can record these by either: (1) holding down Ctrl and entering the keystroke associated with each species, or (2) using the mouse to select multiple species. NB: You cannot record multiple individuals when you are selecting multiple species (e.g. you can record that both 1 kea and 1 tui appeared in an image, but you cannot specify that 2 kea and 1 tui appeared).
You must press the space bar to save an image classification with either: (1) multiple species, (2) more than one animal, or (3) comments.
When you have finished classifying the images, close the window with the close (X) button at top-right.
You can either select another folder of images to classify and repeat the process, or you can export the data processed
Folders in the main classifier screen will be highlighted with different colours based on how many of the images have been classified
Yellow = no images have been classified
Blue = some of the images in the folder have been classified
Green = all images in the folder have been classified
White = all images in the folder have been classified and exported
Note: Not classifying all species?
We recommend that you classify all species and complete a folder in one go. However, if you do not complete a folder, there are 2 options:
1. Close it, and click ‘Export’ to export the images you have classified. When you re-open the Classifier, it will automatically open on the first image that has not yet been classified.
2. Alternatively, open the folder that has been partially classified (but not exported), and hold down the space to return to the first image that has not yet been classified.
4.2 Classifying videos
Videos can be classified by following the same process you would to classify still images.
Note: Videos will take longer to load than still images on some operating systems. Ensure you allow the video to download in full before classifying. You may need to press the space bar after selecting the species to save the classification and proceed to the next video. Classifier will not work for MP3 or MP4 files.
4.3 Exporting
Click on the folder(s) you wish to export, then click ‘Export’.
Note: a classified image can only be exported once, and only folders with some or all images classified can be exported.
Exporting will:
Copy images to the Export Folder in your computer (refer to Section 1).
Separate them into different folders based on their classification name (e.g. ‘Mouse’ or ‘Kea’)
Rename them to reflect the camera location, date-time, and classification of each image (e.g. 156000~2020-03-12T07-38-21~Mice - Mus musculus~1~0)
Create a ‘metadata.csv’ file in the Export Folder. Each person classifying images will have their own metadata file.
Folders that have been exported will turn white in the main Classifier screen and they will not be able to be re-classified. If you make an error before the file has been exported, you can re-open and edit it. If you make an error after the file has been exported, you will need to fix this manually by going into the metadata file and updating the entry. You will also need to rename and move the associated images.
4.4 Metadata spreadsheet
Each person classifying images will have a metadata spreadsheet saved in their Export Folder.
To review your data, open the document from your Export Folder, and click ‘A’ (circled below). Then, open the ‘Data’ section of your toolbar, and click ‘Text to Columns’. Select ‘Delimited’ as the file type. Then click ‘Next’, ‘Next’, and ‘Finish’. This will display your data in a usable format.