Improved Performance and Onboarding Focused on getting you up and running as quickly as possible, a simplified home page points out the essentials.  When navigating through annotation tasks, we are now loading image annotation tasks ahead of time to get one step closer to a native application experience. All the convenience of the cloud and the responsiveness of a desktop application showing that you can have your Encord cake and eat it too. A crucial early step, before you examine, annotate, or otherwise review your data, is connecting your cloud storage solution to Encord. Between multi-cloud, permissions and CORS it can be an arduous process. So — we’ve revamped the integration process into a guided step-by-step process in the app, and added the ability to confirm against storage resource URLs immediately after to give you complete and immediate feedback that your setup is in working order. Once you’ve onboarded your data integration, we’ve also made getting started with the SDK a one-step process. Simply generate your API key on the platform, and supply the file path of the downloaded private key when initiating your Encord SDK client. No copy-pasting and no fuss.  Require Annotations in Labeling Tasks Annotation tasks can be numerous and complex. In order to remove some of the burden of annotation and review, it can often be helpful to enforce that at least one of a particular annotation is present in a task. In addition to ongoing support for required specific nested attributes on objects and classifications, Encord has added support for ontology objects and classes to be required as well — enforcing that at least one of the indicated instance labels is present in a labeling task. We’ve paired this strict requirement enforcement with an improved issues drawer so annotators can quickly resolve outstanding issues and submit high quality annotation work.  Enhanced Workflow Collaboration with Collaborator Router and Simplified Queues We’ve simplified and separated the workflows task queue interface from the data inspection features. For team members — move through your annotate and review tasks with greater clarity. For admins, cleaner separation between data review and task control interfaces will keep you focused on the goal. We’re also adding a collaborator router so that you can route annotation tasks based on who made the most recent annotation submission or review judgement. Perfect for training newer annotation or review team members, or setting up partnerships and collaborations within wider projects and annotation workflows.  DICOM Updates Improvements in the label editor functionality are often especially relevant for DICOM annotation workloads. For example, the polygon tool’s new ability to show measurement vertex angles in the label editor with DICOM annotations can add value to your labelling workloads. Head over to the DICOM Update Blog to see the details, and other DICOM updates for this month. Around the web and around the world Encord is here to keep you up-to-date on the rapidly evolving world of AI. Check out these explainers for a deep-dive into the inner-workings of the latest in AI. Meta AI's CoTracker: It is Better to Track Together FastViT: Hybrid Vision Transformer with Structural Reparameterization Meta AI’s Photorealistic Unreal Graphics (PUG) Thanks for reading — as always, the inbox at product@encord.com is always open — we’d love to hear your thoughts on the feedback on the above! Talk to you soon,

Require top-level ontology categories This month, we are introducing the highly-anticipated top-level required feature, designed to empower you with greater control and precision in your annotation projects. With this feature, you can now define and prioritize the most critical requirements of your DICOM annotation tasks, ensuring that your team's efforts are focused on capturing the key insights that matter most. Have a look at our documentation for further guidance on how to use it.  📊 Introducing Advanced Measurement Features! 📏 Say hello to the brand-new measurement feature, designed to precisely quantify angles and areas. Whether it's evaluating the size of a tumor, determining the angle of a joint, or gauging the extent of a lesion, DICOM's new measurement feature empowers medical experts to make more informed decisions. Upgraded DICOM de-identification With the increasing importance of data privacy and compliance in healthcare, we understand the challenges you face when handling medical imaging data. Our upgraded DICOM de-identification service offers a comprehensive solution to de-identify DICOM files swiftly and securely, and offers integration with customisable reviewer workflows. Protect patient privacy and ensure regulatory compliance effortlessly with our state-of-the-art de-identification technology. Seamlessly remove all sensitive information from DICOM metadata as well as from pixel data while preserving the integrity of the data. We are excited as ever to receive your feedback on the latest and upcoming updates. Please feel free to contact us at product@encord.com if you have any thoughts or ideas on how we can enhance your experience with us. We eagerly await hearing from you.

We wrapped up July with some important advancements in workflows, model training, and DICOM. We’ve complemented these improvements with a new documentation system to make it easier to learn all the details of how the platform and the SDK work. Read on below to catch up with all the news! Track micro-model training data We wrapped up July with some important advancements in workflows, model training, and DICOM. We’ve complemented these improvements with a new documentation system to make it easier to learn all the details of how the platform and the SDK work. Read on below to catch up with all the news! After your automation-powered annotation workflows generate lots of labels — use enhanced sorts and filters in the export interface to get exactly the labels you want. We’ve added the ability to filter exports by dataset — a quick way to get what you need. Check out our docs on exporting labels from the web-app to learn more.  Route workflow tasks according to who took the latest action It’s often appropriate to change you QC in annotation workflows based on the workflow participant. It can help when training new staff, or creating good communication partnerships between label annotators and reviewers. To address these needs, we’re introducing the Collaborator Router which will you to route tasks through your annotation and QC workflows according to the last actor! A versatile workflows component -- contact us if you would like to discuss how collaborator routing can enhance your QC and annotation workflows!   Improved Documentation and Active Learning Notebooks Master the annotate, automate, debug active learning cycle with ease using our new documentation and notebook guides. This new centralized setup provides a clear and comprehensive overview of Encord's full range of capabilities. Coupled with an enhanced search and a vote-based feedback interface, you can quickly find precise nuggets of information easier than ever before and let us know what’s working and what isn’t. As part of the migration, the new documentation may have invalidated a couple previous bookmarks — simply search and re-book your go-to content to stay productive!  Once you’re oriented — jump into the details with end to end tutorials and active learning workflows prepared in our Encord Notebooks repository! Everything you need to get up and running with Encord Active and your active learning projects in one place! As always — reach out for any workflows or tutorials you feel will accelerate your active learning initiatives! DICOM Visual Enhancements: 3D Volumes and Zoom Per Window  When working with modalities that support multiple views, you can now zoom and pan them separately to fully understand the data at hand. Seamlessly navigate through high-resolution scans with ease, zooming in to scrutinize the finest details and panning across images effortlessly. Combined with the ability to render medical scans in 3D, the upgraded DICOM tool provides a seamless experience that empowers you to make more informed diagnoses and more precise annotations. {{light_callout_start}} Catch up on the full details of feature details in the DICOM update blog. {{light_callout_end}} Did you know?  You can use our Python SDK to view label logs —  providing comprehensive analytics on actions taken in the label editor — for example who created and edited certain annotations. Filters can be adjusted and combined to suit your all your needs - whether you’re interested in viewing logs for a particular time period, or want to see all actions taken on a data unit. Follow the steps in this recipe to get started, or consult the SDK’s API documentation, here! Around the web and around the world The world of AI moving fast, but Encord’s got your back. Check out these explainers for a deep-dive into the inner-workings of the latest in AI. Meta-Transformer: Framework for Multimodal Learning LLaMA 2: Meta AI’s Latest Open Source Large Language Model Text2Cinemagraph: Synthesizing Artistic Cinemagraphs Thanks for reading — as always, the inbox at product@encord.com is always open — we’d love to hear your thoughts on the feedback on the above!