Getting Started

Setup LOST

LOST releases are hosted on DockerHub and shipped in Containers. See LOST Quick Setup for more information.

Getting Data into LOST

Image Data

In the current version there is no GUI available in order to load images into LOST. So we will use the command line or a file explorer to do that. An image dataset in LOST is just a folder with images. LOST will recognize all folders that are located at path_to_lost/data/data/media in your filesystem as a dataset. In order to add your dataset just copy it to the path above e.g.:

# Copy your dataset into the LOST media folder
cp -r path/to/my/dataset path_to_lost/data/data/media

# It may be required that you copy it as a super user since the
# docker container that executes LOST is running as root service
# and owns the media folder.
sudo cp -r path/to/my/dataset path_to_lost/data/data/media

LabelTrees

Labels are organized in LabelTrees. Each LabelLeaf need to have at least a name. Optional information for a LabelLeaf are a description, an abbreviation and an external ID (maybe from another system). LOST provides a GUI to create or edit LabelTrees and an import of LabelTrees defined in a CSV file via the command line. In order to be able to edit LabelTrees in LOST you need to login as a user with role Designer. After login you need to click on the Labels button on the left navigation bar.

Users, Groups and Roles

There are two main user roles in LOST: A Designer and an Annotator role. Both roles have different views and access to information. An Annotators job is just to work on annotation tasks that are assigned to him, while a Designer may do more advanced stuff and everything an Annotator may do. For example a Designer will start annotation piplines and choose or edit LabelTrees for the annotation tasks.

Independent of its role a user can be part of one or multiple user Groups. In this way annotation tasks can be a assigned to Groups of users that can work collaborative on the same task.

In order to manage users and groups, click on the Users icon on the left menu bar. Please note that only users with the role Designer are allowed to manage users.

Starting an Annotation Pipeline

All annotation processes in LOST are modeled as pipelines. Such a pipeline defines the order in which specific pipeline elements will be executed. Possible elements are Datasources, Scripts, AnnotationTasks, DataExports and VisualOutputs.

Each version of LOST is equipped with a selection of standard pipelines that can be used as a quick start to annotate your data. In order to start an annotation pipeline you need to be logged in in as a user with role Designer and click on the Start Pipeline button on the left navigation bar. Now you will see a table with possible pipelines that can be started.

After selecting a pipeline by a click on a specific row in the table you need to configure it. A visualization of the selected pipeline will be displayed. In most cases a Datasource is the first element of a pipeline. Click on it and select an available dataset. After a click on the OK button the pipeline element will turn green to indicate that the configuration was successful.

The next element you need to look for is an AnnotationTask. After clicking on it a wizard will pop up and guide you through the configuration of this AnnotationTask. In the first step a name and instructions for the AnnotationTask can be defined. Click on the next button and select a user or group of users that should perform this AnnotationTask. Now a LabelTree need to be selected by clicking on a specific tree in the table. Now a visualization of the LabelTree will be displayed. Here you can select a subset of labels that should be used for the AnnotationTask. The idea is that each parent leaf represents a category that can be selected to use all direct child leafs as labels. So if you click on a leaf, all direct child leafs will be used as possible labels for the AnnotationTask. It is possible to select multiple leafs as label categories. After selecting the label subset click on OK and the configuration of this AnnotationTask is done.

Now visit all other elements that not have been configured (indicated by a yellow color) and move on to the next step in the wizard. Here you can enter a name and a description of your pipeline. After entering these information you can click on the checkmark symbol to get to the Start Pipe button. With a click on this button your annotation pipeline will be started :-)

You can monitor the state of all running pipelines on your Designer dashboard. To get to a specific pipeline click on the Dashboard button in the left navigation bar and select a pipeline in the table.

Annotate Your Images

Once your pipeline has requested all annotations for an AnnotationTask, selected annotators will be able to work on it. If you are logged in as a user with role Designer you can now switch to the annotator view by clicking on the Annotator button at the upper right corner of your browser. You will be redirected to the annotator dashboard. If you are logged in as a user with role Annotator you see this dashboard directly after login.

Here you can see a table with all available AnnotationTasks for you. Click on a task you want to work on and you will be redirected to one of the annotation tools (see also the For Annotators chapter). Now instructions will pop up and you are ready to annotate.

Download Your Annotation Results

All example pipelines in LOST have a Script element that will export your annotations to a CSV file when the annotation process has finished. To download this file go to the Designer dashboard that is part of the Designer view and select a pipeline. A visualization of the annotation process will be displayed. Look for a DataExport element and click on it. A pop up will appear that shows all files that are available for download. Now click on a file and the download will start.