New Version - idIt version 4.1 has been submitted
to the App Store. This version improves the main screen layout & will
make the app compatible to IOS 9. Please note that in IOS 9, you need
explicitly enable the apps access to the microphone. (settings->idIt->microphone
enable)
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How do you get started?
Usage directions are included on the App Store's app page here
, but they are included here for convience:
Library
The idIt app is provided without any sounds. The user adds sounds either
by importing the sounds (as wav files) from iTunes (Version 1.5 or greater)
or by clicking on Library>New to start the acquisition process fro an
individual sound file. The acquisition process is completed when the
user clicks on the "Done" button. The user can then add an
image (or leaves the "?" as a default) and then clicks on
the text line (typically "BirdXX") to name the bird. After
text entry, the information is added to the "Library" when
the "Add" button is clicked.
IDentify
Once a "Library" is created, clicking on "iDentify"
starts the identification process, i.e. collecting a sound sample and
comparing the new sample with the existing Library.
Note: the "New" sound is collected until the screen is touched.
Once the screen is touched, the "Library" is listed in order
of "closeness", i.e. a "green" dot means the named
bird closely matches the "New" sound, a "yellow"
dot means the named bird is not a good match to the "New"
sound and a "red" dot means forget about it.
NOTE: ipod Touch 1st Generation devices will require a microphone connected
to the docking connector. ipod Touch 2nd and 3rd Generation devices
will require a combination earplug and microphone connected to the headphone
socket.
Can you show a demo?
Note: the video may take a while to start... please be patient
(I'm working on a fix)
How do you import sound files?
Note: the video may take a while to start... please be patient
(I'm working on a fix) The sound files MUST be .wav files with the sound sampled at 44,100
samples/sec.
The demo shows the following steps:
Start iTunes
Select the iPhones Device (left side of screen)
Select The iTunes Apps Menu (top of screen)
Select the idIt app (scroll down if necessary) This will show all the sound(wav), pictures(png),
and library(fft) files currently used by the app.
Select Add (lower right side) and navigate to the sound files you want
to import. (Note that shift-click and command-click will allow
you to select multiple sounds) After you have selected the files DO NOT forget to click
on Sync (lower right)
The imported files will be available NEXT time you start the idIt app
Why is there a "bird" called tmpData after
updating?
The "bird" is an artifact of the upgrade process. To eliminate
the "bird", go to the LIBRARY screen and tap the "-" on the right of the
tmpData. Then tap on the DELETE button. The same process is used to delete
and "bird" in your library.
What makes a "good" quality sound?
The sound must be strong enough to hear it and must be long
enough to include the sound inflections and variations that make the sound
unique to the bird. Signal strength is indicated by large signal variations
on the iPhone display during sound aquisition. See the "screen capture"
images on the app page.
How long should a "Library" sound be?
The short answer is "less than 15seconds."
The long answer is long enough to include all the particular birds' sound
inflections. The app was tested using sounds of from 8 to 12 seconds.
How accurate is the app in identifying the
correct bird?
The correct identification is wholly based on the quality of
the "Library." If the quality of the sounds in the "Library" are very
good and the quality of the "New" sound is very good, testing has shown
the app will identify the correct bird with a high degree of accuracy.
Within the margins of the measurement scheme, i.e. "Very Close (green)",
"Not So Close (yellow)" and "Far (red)", the app may assign multiple
birds within each catagory. Note that the listing is sorted within each
category, so that the first bird listed is the "closest."
Why isn't there a library included?
First some technical information:
The "Library" consists of the following files:
One masterLib.brds(an ANSCII text file) - containing a list of the bird
names separated by carrage returns
for each bird in the masterLib.brds:
bird_name.png - a 250x250pixel jpg image
bird_name.wav - a wav file of the birds captured sound samples at 44,100
samples/sec
Note: bird_name is the text string from the masterLib.brds file with any
spaces removed.
To eliminate any issues with regard to intellectual property rights, it
was decided not to include any image or sound files.
How do you include bird images?
After a sound has been aquired, the app provides a default
bird image of a "?". To replace that image, click on "Pix". At that time,
you can navigate to the image library within your iPhone and select any
image you want.
Can you replace bird images?
You can replace any image by selecting the bird on the first
screen. The app will then display the image and play the birds "Library"
sound.
Note: you can adjust the volume by moving the slider
By clicking on the image, the app will allow you to navigate to your iphone's
image library and you can replace the original image with any image in
your iPhone's image library.
Can you replace bird sounds?
You can delete a bird from the "Library" and replace it with
a new one. Click on "Library" and the click on the "-" adjacent to the
bird you desire to remove. Then click on the "Delete" button to actually
remove the bird from the "Library".
Are there restrictions on naming birds?
Spaces can be used, but do NOT include apostrophes or any other
character inflections.
The app randomly crashes; is there anything
I can do about it?
The app usually "crashes", i.e. quits and displays the "home" screen,
because of lack of available memory. The app will run, without a problem,
on minimal, i.e. 16GB, devices, if no other apps are running in the
background. It is best to delete all background apps prior to starting
the app.
Background apps are removed as follows:
->double click the main/home button - all current background apps
will appear along the bottom of the screen
->click and hold one of the background apps until they all start
wiggling
->click the "-" charactor on each app's icon to remove
it from memory
->when all apps are removed click on the main/home button
->start the tracker app
