Merge telemetry objects after error calibration

[chfleming]

Currently, you can import multiple files simultaneously, by selecting multiple files at once.

However, if you import one file after another, then the first file is overwritten.

[xhdong-umd]

I think this is expected behavior because user may change mind and upload some other file.

If you want to upload multiple files one by one, there must be a switch between "upload and merge" and "upload and replace" modes because both are valid use cases.

Given user can already upload multiple files, I tend to think this will make UI unnecessarily complex. Of course there is some user cases when multiple files are in different folder so they cannot be added at the same time, however I think it's reasonable to expect user at least put them in one temp folder since they gonna to process them together.

[chfleming]

I think that could be solved with the ability to delete selected animals.

[xhdong-umd]

What if two files are different versions of same individual? I think file merging /replace should be different from individual level operations.

[chfleming]

If error is modeled, then with two different tracking devices on the same animal, you wouldn't want to merge their telemetry objects until after error is calibrated.

I think this is a different, and less frequent, use case than importing multiple files.

[xhdong-umd]

My concern is: If user uploaded one file, do some analysis, then uploaded another file. Unless he has changed the option to "new upload replace existing one", new upload will be merged and it start from merged individuals.

I think this will be very confusing, and I am not sure why dragging multiple files together can't serve the purpose already.

I also don't remember seeing any application let user upload multiple files one by one unless there are some explicit instructions. Myself would not expect uploading a new file will merge with existing one.

[chfleming]

They start their analysis on one file and want to bring in the other file without losing their progress. Users are assuming this software behaves like GIS or other analysis softwares in that respect.

If animal identities are the same, then there could be a dialog box to choose overwrite or append.

[xhdong-umd]

Merging a new file will start from scratch and there is no "progress" can be saved. I am not sure what kind of progress they are expecting to keep, but updating input will change everything and start from first stage again.

If the data of same individual can be overrided, how can previous progress be expected to be saved?

[chfleming]

I don't think merging files after import will be very common, and so that feature doesn't have to be in presently. But merging telemetry objects after error calibration may happen occasionally, and that feature might be useful down the road.

[xhdong-umd]

Sure, that would be part of the calibration UI.