Katapult Pro Photos Overview and Classification Manual

Photo Classification is the process of classifying, calibrating, and entering initial data onto the photos that were gathered during the field collection process.

You can navigate to Katapult Pro Photos by clicking on the app tray button at the top right then clicking the “Photos” button. This will open a new page, which will display the photos for the job.

At the top left of the page is the job chooser. You can navigate to other jobs by searching for the job in the dropdown.

You can use the “Collection Set” button to filter photos from the job based on when the photos were uploaded. The days uploaded will be displayed, and you can check off what days' photos you want to view.

The button to the right of the collection set button is used to select all the photos within the job. When this button is pressed, the photo thumbnails at the bottom will all be highlighted yellow and a blue button will appear at the bottom right to show the number of photos selected.

You can select the “X” to deselect the photos, or click the three dot menu to see various options.

Clicking the three dots will give you the option to unassociate photos, delete photos from the job, sort the photos by various categories.

Selecting photos can also be done by holding the “Control” key on the keyboard and selecting the photo thumbnails from the bottom ribbon that you want, or holding shift and clicking to a photo to highlight multiple photos. Again, just click the “X” to deselect the photos.

Katapult Pro Photos Layout

As you select a photo from the bottom photo ribbon, the photo will be displayed in the center of the page. You can see what image you are selected on at the top of the window.

Here you can see the photo above would be photo 2 of 39. You can see a preview of the previous and next photo to the sides of the selected photo.

You can move through the photo set by clicking the forward or back arrows to the left and right, or by using the arrows on your keyboard. You can also click on any photo within the ribbon.

Photo Colors

As the photos are classified, the color of the thumbnail within the photo ribbon will change.

• Blue - These are sync shots that have been entered with the job details information.
• Gray - These are photos that have no data on them yet. They have not been classified.
• Green - These are photos that have been classified or contain height data.
• Orange - These are photos that are classified as “Cable Tag”. They are a different color to make it easier to go through the photo ribbon and find Cable IDs.
• Red - This is the photo that is currently displaying in the middle of the screen in Katapult Pro Photos.
• Yellow - These are photos that are selected, which can then be unassociated, deleted or sorted.

Darker Tip - If the photo has a darker cap at the top, it means the photo is associated to a node within the job.

*The cap will be a darker shade of the base color of the thumbnail. When the cap turns red, it reflects the photos that are associated to the location selected in Katapult Pro Maps.

Classification

To start classifying photos, click on your starting photo in the photo ribbon. You can start anywhere along the ribbon and multiple users can classify photos in the same job.

*If multiple users are in the same job classifying you will see the other user’s avatar over top the photo they are currently working on.

Next, click on the photo to create a dummy marker and click on the black square to the left of the dropdown. This tool allows you to switch between one-click menu picklists that would be used in annotating and classification for different workflows. Choose the classify option under this button.

*Some clients will have a combined measure and classification picklist. If that is the case, you will not need to click to change picklist settings.

Once selected, you can use the dropdown to see the list of current classification options. There will also be a keyboard shortcut in parenthesis after each classification.

Until you learn the shortcuts, you can scroll through the list to choose the correct photo classification.

*You can contact [email protected] if you need to change the shortcuts or change the classification types. If your fielders do not take certain photos or your team has photo types that are not in the dropdown, reach out to our team. 

As you classify, a photo data chip will be added to the photo at the top right of the photo window for that photo. 

You can click on the chip to expand its details. Using the three dot menu, you can add or remove attributes, or you can delete the chip by clicking the trash can icon.

If a photo contains multiple pieces of information used for classification, you can enter as many classifications as you need. For example, if a photo had two pole tag numbers in it, you could have two "pole_tag" chips on that photo with each one having data for the different tag. If the photo also contained the birthmark, you could classify the photo as a birthmark shot as well.

For any photo that will require calibration (Midspans and Pole Heights), once the option is selected, a routine will start within the software.

For example, if you have a midspan shot, and you click “m” on the keyboard to utilize the midspan shortcut, the software will start the midspan height routine.

The software will insert the Midspan Height chip at the top right corner, and you will choose the midspan type, or what the span is over. 

Once you select that, the software will start with the height routine. So your very next click will place a 16.5’ marker. Zoom in on the photo to look for the top calibration sticker at 16.5. Once your crosshair is in the middle of the white square, go ahead and click.

As soon as you click the software will automatically go to the next height in the routine, which is 14.5'. You can zoom out on the photo and zoom in at that next height calibration sticker, or you can use the down or up arrows on the keyboard to pan down or up the photo at your current zoom. Each click will go to the next anchor in the routine. Repeat this process until the routine has finished.

You should see the calibration turn green, and the calibration line (yellow line) will extend up through the photo. 

For pole height shots, there will be an extra step after the height routine, where you will need to place the pole top marker on the pole.

The software will also give you warnings depending on the approximate accuracy of your calibration.

If the calibration is yellow, one of your anchor points is definitely off a bit, and a red calibration shows that one or more is off to a greater extent. Double check that your anchors are placed correctly and that the stick is fully extended. Accuracy of measurements can only be guaranteed if the calibration is performed correctly at the given targets.

Once anchor markers are placed, you are able to move them around or change the height by clicking on them and clicking the dropdown to change the height. This is useful when a branch or an obstruction is blocking a calibration sticker.

For classifications that require data to be entered, such as tags and birthmarks, you will be able to enter the necessary data in the text line of the details chip.

Photo Info and Editing

If you need to see the photo details or make any edits to the photo to help enter data, you can expand the window below the photo.

The Info section will display the photo's information. Here, you can see all the camera and lens settings, as well as the date the photo was taken and the users that uploaded or edited the photo.

*If a midspan or pole height photo will not calibrate, you may see an error message that says "camera unrecognized." You can check the settings to see what might have gone wrong, but ultimately if the settings were wrong or an unapproved camera was used, the height photos will need to be retaken. 

You can also click on the “Find in Maps” button in this info section to zoom to the location in Katapult Pro Maps where the photo is associated. 

Under Edit, you can mark a photo for re-upload, rotate the photo, and you can adjust the photo’s brightness and contrast. Clicking the “Reset Filters” button will set the brightness and contrast back to zero.

The last section will display the various make ready needed if the photo is in MR view. To collapse this window just click the arrow below the photo again.

Lastly, the buttons at the top will change the view of the photo. The far left button is “Make Ready View.” Clicking this button will switch the photo to display the make ready clearance violations. The middle lock button is “ Read Only” mode. Just as in maps, you will be able to view photos in read only mode, but you will not be able to make edits. The last button to the right of read only mode is “Cable Trace View”. Clicking this button will open up the trace view, where the height of attachments can be marked.

*Make Ready and Cable Tracing are discussed in more detail in their own documentation.

Thanks for reading! For a more visual guide of Katapult Pro Photos and the photo classification process, stay tuned for our Photos Overview and Classification Webinar video!