F-POD software and user guides

The free dedicated FPOD app displays, filters, analyses and exports the data. It uses the advanced KERNO-F classifier that pulls cetacean trains out of background noise.

Updates to the app are always compatible with earlier versions of both data and hardware and are also free.

The structure of F-POD data is open source, and for coders the source code that reads it and calculates some derivatives is available directly from the app.  All the data logged is available to users plus the derived click train features generated by the KERNO-F classifier.

F-POD app

The current version of the FPOD app, dated 26 Aug 2024.  It uses Version 1.0 of the advanced KERNO-F classifier.

The latest additions include an implementation of the PYRA method of estimating trends in detection rates / access to smoothed inter-click-interval values / and an export utility for users who want to develop their own classifiers using machine learning or AI.

Updated: November 2024

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F-POD Software Guide

The F-POD app includes a lot of display, filtering and exporting options.

Hopefully this will be useful in learning your way round this beast!

 

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Getting your data from the SD card

Data on SD cards is in .CHE files, which may be one per day or other configurations, but in all cases you read them with the FPOD app and they are then on the PC as .FP1 files.

Mac users will need a PC-emulator

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Samples of C-POD and F-POD data

Franciscana and Guiana dolphins recorded by Renan Paitach using a C-POD and an F-POD in Babitonga Bay in Brazil.

View these together in the FPOD app to see the differences between the instruments and species.

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POD sightings template for use with F-POD app

Excel template for adding annotations to          F-POD and C-POD files.

If you make observations, or arrive at species classifications using your own classifier, you can rapidly add your findings to the file so that the app will show your species designation on a minute by minute basis.  Then you can filter the data by the species information you added.

Updated: July 2024

 

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Exporting data into Microsoft Access, running queries and creating charts.

Databases can be quicker and easier to use for large data sets such as those from POD studies.

This is a brief guide to using queries in Microsoft’s Access.

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F-POD app version history

This is a reference document on software changes and is of limited interest!

The KERNO-F classifier that underpins the usefulness of F-PODs is based on deep ‘feature engineering’ to seek ‘coherent’ click trains and then allocates them to species guilds or leaves then ‘unclassed’.

This takes you to a paper on the validation of the results.

This takes you to a paper on PYRA.

Updated Aug 2024

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Video guides on YouTube

The F-POD app

It’s not that bad…

Updated: March 2020

Opening F-POD data files

A good place to start.

Updated: March 2020

Taking a first wide view of a data file

Starting to understand what low time resolution data can tell us.

Updated: March 2020

More user guides:

Video tutorials

Tutorial linkUpdatedDescription
Graphing high resolution dataMarch 2020A fast analysis of the clicks on screen.
Graphing low resolution dataMarch 2020A fast analysis of clicks and trains on screen.
Using the Analysis functionMarch 2020Another tool that helps assess performance, the effect of filters and much much more.
Exploring click characteristicsMarch 2020The unfamiliar world of high-resolution time-domain data. You saw it here first!
Fine tuning and saving the F-POD displayMarch 2020Display tools ... and how to go back to see interesting events anywhere in all your many files.
Good click trainsMarch 2020Features of trains from train sources.
NBHF clicksMarch 2020Features of clicks from porpoises.
Other cetacean click trainsMarch 2020Features of clicks from dolphins.
SonarsMarch 2020Features of clicks from sonars.
Bad click trainsMarch 2020Features of false trains created by multiple click sources.
Validating a fileMarch 2020How to estimate the false positive level. This is a key skill. Please give feedback on this!
Running the KERNO-F classifierMarch 2020Some advanced points on using this awesome classifier.
File Cropping and Time selectionsMarch 2020
Essential skills for a project and detailed questioning of your data.
Exploring click burstsMarch 2020A scramble through a jungle trying to pick out unknown species of tall tree.
Exporting basic F-POD dataMarch 2020
Every aspect of your data and its classification can be exported!
Exporting cetacean and environmental dataMarch 2020Another exampe of exporting and viewing your data in Excel.
Diel and other graphsMarch 2020
Super-fast data analysis in the F-POD app.
Marking and editing click trainsMarch 2020Useful tools.
Use and sometimes improve the KERNO classifierMarch 2020Use and sometimes improve the KERNO classifier.
Using click filtersMarch 2020Can be the quickest solution to some challenges.
Using train filtersMarch 2020Find needles in the haystack.