DataCapture is a Tcl/Tk application that enables data extraction from scientific plots and other types of graphs. It is a user-friendly package that efficiently extracts data.
DataCapture is a software born out of frustration and after a long time procrastinating. The creator of this software was tired of approximating data points from graphs and chart manually every time they needed numerical values of a graph from a journal or a conference paper. The approximation of data points from the graph was always inaccurate and a poor representation of the actual data. The creator wanted a program to automate this task and do a better job of it.
The development of DataCapture took three years, and while it's not the best creation, it's highly useful. The requirements for this software are Tcl/Tk, and the installation process is straightforward. All one needs to do is download the file from the website provided, ensure that the file has executable permissions, figure out the location of their 'wish' interpreter using 'which wish,' and execute the program from a terminal.
Using the DataCapture software is simple, and the documentation guides users through the process. After executing the program, users can click on the ‘Open Data File’ button to open a .gif image. The next steps involve clicking on the 'x-left,’ ‘x-right,’ ‘y-top,’ and ‘y-bottom’ radio buttons in sequence, typing in the value of the x or y-axis they know, and pressing enter. DataCapture captures this value and creates a red circle on the graph in the image. Users then click on the ‘data point’ radio-button, and click the actual data points within the graph. A green circle is generated for the selected data point.
Finally, after capturing all the necessary data, users click on the 'convert data’ button, generating the necessary data on the terminal where the program was executed. Users can redirect output for easier data handling. However, DataCapture only takes .gif input files, so users will have to convert their images to .gif using ImageMagic or similar software.
DataCapture is a simple program that works everywhere, but it has limitations. It can only handle straight, horizontally and vertically aligned graph axes. For now, it is suitable for copies of journal and conference articles downloaded from IEEE Xplore or similar sources, but scanned/photocopied articles are much more challenging to get right. The creator may rectify this issue in later releases.
The development of DataCapture took three years, and while it's not the best creation, it's highly useful. The requirements for this software are Tcl/Tk, and the installation process is straightforward. All one needs to do is download the file from the website provided, ensure that the file has executable permissions, figure out the location of their 'wish' interpreter using 'which wish,' and execute the program from a terminal.
Using the DataCapture software is simple, and the documentation guides users through the process. After executing the program, users can click on the ‘Open Data File’ button to open a .gif image. The next steps involve clicking on the 'x-left,’ ‘x-right,’ ‘y-top,’ and ‘y-bottom’ radio buttons in sequence, typing in the value of the x or y-axis they know, and pressing enter. DataCapture captures this value and creates a red circle on the graph in the image. Users then click on the ‘data point’ radio-button, and click the actual data points within the graph. A green circle is generated for the selected data point.
Finally, after capturing all the necessary data, users click on the 'convert data’ button, generating the necessary data on the terminal where the program was executed. Users can redirect output for easier data handling. However, DataCapture only takes .gif input files, so users will have to convert their images to .gif using ImageMagic or similar software.
DataCapture is a simple program that works everywhere, but it has limitations. It can only handle straight, horizontally and vertically aligned graph axes. For now, it is suitable for copies of journal and conference articles downloaded from IEEE Xplore or similar sources, but scanned/photocopied articles are much more challenging to get right. The creator may rectify this issue in later releases.
What's New
Version 0.1: N/A