User Interface

The VISTA user interface is designed for efficient navigation and analysis of multi-frame imagery datasets.

Main Window Layout

The VISTA main window consists of several key areas:

Note

A screenshot of the VISTA Main Window will be added here in a future update.

Components

1. Menu Bar: Access to file operations, algorithms, tools, and settings

2. Toolbar: Quick access to common operations

3. Imagery Viewer: Central display area for viewing imagery

4. Data Panels: Tabbed panels for managing data (Imagery, Detections, Tracks, etc.)

5. Playback Controls: Frame navigation and playback controls

6. Status Bar: Current frame, mouse coordinates, and pixel values

Imagery Viewer

The central imagery viewer displays the current frame with overlays for detections, tracks, and other annotations.

Navigation

• Pan: Click and drag with left mouse button

• Zoom: Mouse wheel or zoom controls

• Fit to Window: Double-click or use View menu

• Reset View: Press R or use View menu

Display Controls

• Contrast/Brightness: Adjust using the histogram widget

• Color Maps: Apply different color maps for visualization

• Overlays: Toggle detection and track overlays

• Annotations: Add markers, lines, and regions

Data Panels

Imagery Panel

Manage loaded imagery datasets:

• Load new imagery files

• View imagery metadata

• Select active imagery

• Apply treatments (bias, NUC, etc.)

• Save processed imagery

Detections Panel

View and manage detections:

• Run detection algorithms

• View detection parameters

• Filter detections by properties

• Export detection data

• Visualize detection statistics

Tracks Panel

Work with object tracks:

• Run tracking algorithms

• View track properties

• Edit tracks manually

• Interpolate missing detections

• Export track data

AOIs Panel

Define and manage Areas of Interest:

• Create rectangular or polygon AOIs

• Associate AOIs with frames

• Extract sub-imagery from AOIs

• Save and load AOI definitions

Sensors Panel

Manage sensor calibration data:

• Load sensor metadata

• View sensor parameters

• Associate sensors with imagery

• Configure coordinate transformations

Features Panel

Work with features and annotations:

• Create point, line, and polygon features

• Associate features with frames

• Add properties and labels

• Export feature data

Playback Controls

The playback controls allow navigation through multi-frame imagery:

Controls

• Play/Pause: Start/stop playback

• Step Forward/Backward: Move one frame

• First/Last Frame: Jump to beginning or end

• Frame Slider: Scrub through frames

• Frame Rate Control: Adjust playback speed

• Loop Toggle: Enable/disable loop playback

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Space: Play/Pause

• Left/Right Arrow: Previous/Next frame

• Home/End: First/Last frame

• Page Up/Down: Skip forward/backward by 10 frames

Menus

File Menu

• Open: Load imagery or data files

• Save: Save current imagery

• Import: Import detections, tracks, or other data

• Export: Export data in various formats

• Recent Files: Quick access to recently opened files

• Exit: Close the application

Algorithms Menu

• Detectors: Run object detection algorithms

• Trackers: Run multi-object tracking algorithms

• Enhancement: Image enhancement operations

• Background Removal: Background subtraction methods

• Treatments: Radiometric corrections

• Tracks: Track analysis and refinement

View Menu

• Zoom In/Out: Change magnification

• Fit to Window: Auto-scale imagery to window

• Show/Hide Panels: Toggle panel visibility

• Full Screen: Enter/exit full screen mode

Tools Menu

• Point Selection: Pick points in imagery

• ROI Selection: Define regions of interest

• Measurements: Measure distances and areas

• Coordinate Conversion: Convert between coordinate systems

Settings Menu

• Preferences: Application settings

• Display Options: Visualization preferences

• Keyboard Shortcuts: View and customize shortcuts

• Plugins: Manage plugins and extensions

Status Bar

The status bar displays contextual information:

• Current Frame: Frame number and timestamp

• Mouse Position: Pixel coordinates under cursor

• Pixel Value: Intensity value at cursor position

• Selection Info: Information about selected objects

• Progress: Algorithm execution progress

Customization

The VISTA interface can be customized to suit your workflow:

• Panel Layout: Dock panels in different configurations

• Themes: Choose light or dark theme

• Font Size: Adjust text size for readability

• Keyboard Shortcuts: Customize shortcuts in Settings

Tips and Tricks

• Quick Frame Navigation: Type a frame number and press Enter to jump to that frame

• Multi-Select: Hold Ctrl/Cmd while clicking to select multiple items

• Context Menus: Right-click on items for context-specific options

• Drag and Drop: Drag files from file explorer to load them

• Panel Zoom: Hold Ctrl while scrolling to zoom in data panels