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Build a label hierarchy

You need: the curator dataset role or higher (label management).

You cannot save an annotation without a label. Labels nest, and nesting means part of — read Label hierarchy for why that matters.

Steps

  1. Start with the containers. Define the whole objects first — the things that other things sit inside. These are your top-level labels.
  2. Nest each part under the thing it is part of. Say it out loud before you nest: a nucleus is part of a cell. If the sentence does not work, the label belongs at the top level instead.
  3. Rearrange when you learn better. Drag a label onto the label it is a part of, or drop it below the tree to make it a whole object again. The move action on the row does the same thing from a dialog. If objects are already annotated in a way the move would break, you are told how many before anything changes — see Rearranging later.
  4. Check the order. Batch inference walks the tree in order, so containers are segmented before the parts searched for inside them.

Using the LLM assistant

If an LLM API key is configured, IQUANA can draft a hierarchy from a description of your domain.

Treat the draft as a starting point to edit. It knows your description, not your imagery.

Nest a part under its container → draw the part inside the container object → the containment is accepted. Optionally the LLM draft.

Nesting is not for subtypes

acropora is a kind of coral, not a part of one, so it does not belong nested under it. Keep subtypes as siblings at the same level — IQUANA cannot record "is a kind of" yet.

Label names are unique dataset-wide

Not merely among siblings. Two different parents cannot both have a child called edge.

Deleting a label cascades

Deleting a label removes it from every contour carrying it. This is why label management sits at the curator role.

Next: Annotate with AI