In this newsletter:

• Dichotomous key boost
• Lucid Mobile Platform update
• AI Project update
• Recently published keys
• Software updates
• Get 10% of Lucid

Welcome to the December Lucid newsletter.

It’s been yet another busy year for the Lucid team despite Covid disruptions. As always looking back over the past twelve months it’s hard to believe how much has happened and how fast 2021 went by.  In our December newsletter we’ve outlined just a few items of interest of the many that occurred over 2021.

From all the staff at Identic, we wish you and yours all the very best for Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year. We hope you enjoy this newsletter.

PS. Please note our offices and support desk will be closed from Thursday 23rd December until 1st January 2022. 

Regards,

The Lucid Team.

Dichotomous key boost

In addition to releasing upgrades to Fact Sheet Fusion and the Matrix Key Builder, a major addition to the Lucid suite in 2021 has been the release that brings together two key systems under the one platform. Previously released as separate software products, the Lucid (matrix) key system and the Lucid Phoenix key system are now available within Lucid v4, giving you the ability to create both matrix keys and dichotomous keys.

Lucid v4 also brings an improved ability to convert existing, text based dichotomous keys to interactive online keys. Converting existing dichotomous keys involves a simple three-step process: 

1. Digitise hard copy dichotomous keys, using OCR, if not already available as electronic text.

2. Import the text based dichotomous key into the Lucid v4 Builder dichotomous key import dialog. The internal logic of the key will be automatically checked, and any inconsistencies reported to be fixed.

3. The finalised key can be deployed with the latest ‘instant play’ Lucid Player, allowing “unanswerable” couplets to be skipped, filters applied to automatically rebuild subsets of taxa, etc.

For more information go to https://help.lucidcentral.org/lucid/dichotomous-pathway-key-construction/

Lucid Mobile Platform

As a part of our continual development process the Lucid Mobile Platform continues to see a multitude of improvements and upgrades to meet the ever-evolving Android and iOS platforms. Both Google and Apple released major updates to their operating systems this year. The latest edition of Lucid mobile platform is fully compliant and takes advantage of new operating systems with improved layouts, menu options and identification features.

If you had your key published a few years ago, you may want to consider upgrading to the new edition to keep your app available to the users of newer devices and operating systems.

https://www.lucidcentral.org/lucid-mobile-platform/ 

Lucid AI update

As mentioned in our last newsletter, the Lucid team has been busy working on an AI platform that will allow key authors to build AI models and integrate them within a key or used as a standalone tool.  Early next year we will be calling on a limited number of interested users to help beta test. Below are two screen shots of the AI platform (beta) showing the creation of a project and image labelling in preparation for use in training.

Recent keys of 2021

The following outlines just a few of the many new keys released over the past year. Many more brilliant keys can be found by visiting https://keys.lucidcentral.org/search/

Pacific Pests, Pathogens and Weeds

Version 10 received another update recently to integrate the PestNet Community.

https://apps.lucidcentral.org/pppw/

Plant identification keys by Western Australian Herbarium

The Western Australian Herbarium released an update to eight major family keys allowing the identification of more than 3400 species of Western Australia's wildflowers.

https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v4/wa-herbarium/

IDphy: molecular and morphological identification of Phytophthora based on the types.

Developed to facilitate accurate and efficient identification of Phytophthora to species.

https://idtools.org/id/phytophthora/index.php

Key to the Mantodea of Belize

A regional key is provided to known species of Mantodea in Belize; the total number of known species is 21.

Eremohaplomydas, Haplomydas, and Lachnocorynus key

Dichotomous key to species of the Afrotropical Mydidae genera Eremohaplomydas Bequaert, 1959, Haplomydas, Bezzi, 1924, and Lachnocorynus Hesse, 1969 resulting from taxonomic revision published in Boschert & Dikow 2021 in African Invertebrates.

https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v4/eremohaplomydas-dichotomous/

On the Fly

With On the Fly you will be able to accurately identify the family to which an Australian fly belongs.

Android

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lucidcentral.mobile.on_the_fly

Apple iOS

https://apps.apple.com/au/app/on-the-fly/id1567989006

EUCLID - Eucalypts of Australia

EUCLID provides complete descriptions of 934 species of Angophora, Corymbia and Eucalyptus

https://keys.lucidcentral.org/search/euclid-eucalypts-of-australia-fourth-edition/

Don’t forget if you’ve created a Lucid key and want it listed, let us know the details via [email protected].

Software updates

We release software updates frequently based on user feedback and suggestions. Check for the latest updates, via your Lucidcentral.org account.

https://www.lucidcentral.org/my-account/downloads

If you have a question about Lucid or Fact Sheet Fusion submit a support ticket or contact us via [email protected]. 

Get 10% off a Lucid primary licence before the end of January 2022 – Use the promo code ‘LUCID10’ in our on-line store.