February 2025 Release Overview

This month’s release introduces several new features that enhance Sift's data analysis and visualization capabilities. These enhancements provide deeper insights, improve efficiency, and ensure you have the context they need to make critical decisions with confidence.

Key Features

• Advanced Visualization Capabilities
  New charting options, including Scatter Plots, Geo Maps, Histograms, and FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) analysis, provide new ways to interpret complex datasets.

• Enhanced Measurement Tools
  The new Ruler feature allows for instant statistical analysis within time-series data.

• Time-Synced Audio
  You can now integrate and analyze .mp3 and .wav files (up to 30GB) alongside telemetry data for richer context.

• Data Review Campaigns
  A new framework for structuring investigations, tracking completion, and managing annotations within reports.

• Reusable Calculated Channels
  Standardize and apply predefined calculations across multiple assets for consistency and accuracy.

Scatter Plots and Geo Maps

Scatter Plots and Geo Maps enhance multi-variable analysis by plotting telemetry channels against one another spatially or behaviorally. These tools help you explore data relationships and uncover correlations more effectively.

• Enhanced Data Exploration: Quickly identify relationships between different telemetry parameters.
• Multi-Dimensional Analysis: Use color and size to represent additional variables in both scatter plots and geo maps.
• Intuitive Interaction: Linked to time-series views for deeper contextual insights.

Instructions

Open Geo Map

1. Plot your latitude and longitude channels and your optional 3rd channel.
2. Select Other Charts.
3. Select Geo Map.

Configure Geo Map

1. Hover over the geo map to view information about a specific point. Clicking a point preserves that selection.
2. When hovering over the geo map, an indicator appears in the time series plot.
3. To plot a specific sub-section of time series data on the geo map, select Select Range and drag a selection on the time series plot.
4. Configure the geo map by specifying the latitude and longitude channels, as well as the color channel.

Open Scatter Plot

1. Select 2 to 4 channels to include in the scatter plot.
2. Select Other Charts.
3. Select Scatter Plot.

Configure Scatter Plot

1. Specify the range for the scatter plot by dragging and selecting a section on the time series chart.
2. Open the Configure menu to select the X and Y axis channels.
3. If additional channels are plotted, specify a channel for color and size.

Histograms

Histograms display the frequency distribution of values within a telemetry channel, helping you identify operating patterns, anomalies, and performance trends.

• Pattern Recognition: Identify common operating ranges, anomalies, and outliers.
• Performance Analysis: Assess distributions of velocity, acceleration, temperatures, etc.
• Customizable Views: Adjust binning methods for more granular or broader data grouping.

Instructions

Open Histogram

1. Select the channel to view in a histogram.
2. Select the Add Chart button on the channel.
3. Select Histogram from the drop-down menu.

Configure Histogram

1. Choose from three binning methods:
   • Sqrt(n) - Default
   • Bin Range
   • Bin Count
2. Specify the range for the histogram by dragging and selecting a section on the time series chart.

Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT)

FFT analysis transforms time-domain data into frequency-domain insights, allowing you to detect periodic signals, system oscillations, and structural resonances.

• Detect Oscillations: Identify control system instability, aerodynamic flutter, or mechanical vibrations.
• Frequency Analysis: Spot recurring patterns in telemetry data.
• Flexible Scaling: Configure x- and y-axis as linear or log scale to suit different analysis needs.

Instructions

Open FFT

1. Select the channel to view in a FFT.
2. Click the Add Chart button on the channel.
3. Select FFT from the drop-down menu.

Configure FFT

1. Set the X-axis to linear or log scale.
2. Set the Y-axis to linear or log scale.
3. Specify the range by dragging and selecting a section on the time series chart.
4. Zoom in on a specific selection of the X-axis.

Ruler

The Ruler tool enables quick statistical insights within a selected time-series range, allowing you to extract key data metrics without exporting or manually calculating values.

• Instant Trend Analysis: Quickly measure trends without manual effort.
• Effortless Comparisons: Compare values seamlessly within a selected range.
• Quick Access to Key Stats: Identify critical insights without exporting data.

Instructions

1. Select the Ruler icon.
2. Click and drag to apply the ruler to a specific time selection.
3. Pan the ruler output to view all generated statistics.

Configure Ruler Metrics

1. Configure the metrics to display:
   • Start Value
   • End Value
   • Change in Value
   • Min
   • Max
   • Mean
   • Median
   • Start Time
   • End Time
   • Duration in MS
   • Standard Deviation
   • Percent Change
   • Slope in MS

Additional Options

1. Toggle which plotted channels to display in the ruler.
2. Export ruler statistics to a CSV.

Time-Synced Audio

Time-Synced Audio aligns audio recordings with telemetry data for synchronized playback, helping you correlate acoustic signals with system events for deeper diagnostics.

• Enhanced Analysis: Combine audio data with other telemetry for a comprehensive system understanding.
• Visual Correlation: See audio waveforms alongside time-series data to identify relationships.
• Flexible Playback: Navigate through synchronized data and audio for detailed review.

Instructions

Upload an Audio File

1. Navigate to the Runs tab and select the target run.
2. Click the stopwatch icon labeled Run Details in the left sidebar.
3. Click the paperclip icon to open the file selector.
4. Select and upload your audio file.

Note

Data Review Campaigns

Data Review Campaigns streamline the review process by organizing reports, annotations, and team assignments in a centralized location. This feature provides clear oversight into review progress, improving efficiency and accountability.

• Centralized Review Hub: Access all investigation details in one place.
• Granular Status Insights: Get precise visibility into each investigation’s progress.
• Teamwide Transparency: Enable leads to track overall progress with ease.

Instructions

Create a Campaign

1. On the Home page, click the Campaigns tab.
2. Click the + New Campaign button.
   
3. Enter a title, an (optional) description, and (optional) tags.
4. Click + Add Report or + Edit Reports to open the Report selection modal.
   
5. Search for and select the Reports to include in the Campaign, then click Confirm Selection.
   
6. Click Save to create the Campaign with the selected Reports.

Campaign Usage

A Campaign consists of two pages: The overview page and the annotation details page, selectable from the left sidebar.

• The first screen on the overview page shows users the status of the Reports included in the Campaign.
  
• Status by Run provides an aggregate view of the statuses of the Reports that correspond to a given run.
  
• Status by Assignee allows users to see each team member’s progress and how many Annotations are unassigned.
• Clicking on any table entries in the Reports, Runs, Assignees, or Rules tables will take the user to the Annotation Detail page with the corresponding filters selected.
  
• On the Annotation Details page, the user can edit the filters on the left sidebar.
• Users can perform bulk actions by clicking the Select button in the top right corner and selecting one or more annotations.
  

Bulk Actions

Click “Select” in the top right corner, then choose one or more annotations to:

• Assign
• Change status
• Leave a comment
• Add a file attachment
• Delete annotations

(Reusable) Calculated Channels

Reusable Calculated Channels enable you to define calculations once and apply them across multiple assets, ensuring consistency, reducing redundant work, and simplifying troubleshooting.

• Standardized Calculations Across Assets: Ensure consistency and reusability with predefined calculations.
• Seamless Accessibility: Use Calculated Channels as easily as standard Channels in the Explore page.
• Version-Controlled Reliability: Trust calculations with built-in version tracking for accurate root cause investigations.

Instructions

Create a Calculated Channel

There are two ways to create a Calculated Channel:

1. From the Calculated Channel Page (dedicated setup page)
2. From the Explore Page

Creation from the Calculated Channel Page

1. On the Home page, click the Calculated Channels tab, then click + New Calculated Channel.
   
2. Fill out the metadata as you would for a Rule—add a title and description.

Asset Configuration Panel

• Specify how the Calculated Channel should be applied:
  • List of Assets: Select one or more Assets where the Calculated Channel should be available.
  • List of Asset Tags: Select one or more tags to apply the Calculated Channel to all Assets with those tags.
  • All Assets: Enable the Calculated Channel for all Assets in the organization.

Warning: If this option is selected, the Input Channel selection will not be able to validate that the channel names are correct.

Input Channels Panel

• Search for and select one or more channels to use in the expression (similar to Rules).

Query Panel

• Write the expression for the Calculated Channel.

Units (Optional)

• Specify units for the Calculated Channel.

Calculated Channel Preview Panel

1. Click the + icon to select one or more Runs to use as a preview.
2. Search for and select the Runs. Note: the filters are prepopulated with the Asset configuration that you specified above.
3. Inspect the outputs of the previews.
4. Click Save Changes at the top right of the screen.

Creation from the Explore Page

1. Click the f(x) button to open the Calculated Channel configuration.
2. Write your calculation as before.
3. Choose between Apply or Save.
   • Apply will simply plot a Calculated Channel without persisting it. Use this method during ad-hoc exploration as you dial in the exact calculation.
     
     • The Calculated Channel is created, but not saved to the selector in the left sidebar.
   • Save will save the Calculated Channel, just as it would through the Calculated Channel page.
     
     • Clicking Save opens a dialog where the user can also add a description to the Calculated Channel.
     • The Calculated Channel is created and saved to the selector in the left sidebar.