Random point annotation within quadrat

[JonUWA]

Hey!
I am working with a large dataset of dropcam images and need to generate random point annotations only within the quadrat area, not across the full image. However, I cannot find a way in BIIGLE to either crop the images within BIIGLE before annotation, or define a sampling region (e.g., a polygon) so that random points are restricted to a predetermined area. Is there currently a way to do this in BIIGLE, or a recommended workflow for restricting random sampling to a quadrat within an image?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

[mzur]

Hi, currently there is no way to do what you describe directly in BIIGLE. The points of the random sampling annotation mode are always distributed over the whole image.

However, you could do it by using the API with a custom script like this:

• Annotate the quadrat with a rectangle annotation on each image (e.g. using a "quadrat" label).
• Create a custom script similar to this one that downloads the rectangle annotation for each image, generates random point coordinates within the rectangle and uploads these as new point annotations (e.g. with an "to review" label) to BIIGLE. The API documentation can be found here.
• Use the volume label review annotation mode or the Largo tool to update/replace the labels of the points.

Writing and running a custom script requires some technical knowledge. But nowadays you may be able to do this even without IT expertise if you use an AI assistant. Just make sure to give it the example script and API documentation I linked above as reference. We'd be happy to add any new scripts to our community resources repository!

[JonUWA]

Hey Martin!

Thank you so much for your quick reply. I'll give writing and running my custom script a fair chance but it is really not my expertise. In any case, if I do manage I will make sure to get back to you and add it to the community resources.

Thanks again and have a great weekend!
JT

[mzur]

If you have trouble using the API or have specific questions about your script we can probably help here, too. We just can't write the entire script for you 😉