Time Series

Time series is in Beta. Contact your Encord support representative to enable the feature for your Organization.

Time series data lets you import a CSV file and view its columns as charted channels in the Label Editor timeline.

Supported Files

Time series data currently supports CSV files with a MIME type of text/csv or application/csv.

Each file must contain a header row, at least one timestamp column, and at least one channel column.

Example

time_ms,acc_x,acc_y,acc_z
0,0.12,0.02,0.98
100,0.18,0.03,1.01
200,0.15,0.01,0.99

Columns structure

Time series CSV validation and parsing happen when the file is opened in the Editor. Encord makes the following assumptions about your CSV:

• The timestamp column is the first column whose header starts with t, time, or timestamp. If no matching header exists, Encord uses the first column.
• Timestamp headers can include a unit suffix, such as time_ns, time_us, time_ms, time_s, or time_iso. If the timestamp unit cannot be inferred, numeric timestamps are treated as frame-like values.
• Every non-timestamp column is treated as a channel and plotted in the timeline.
• Empty, NaN, null, or otherwise non-numeric channel values are treated as gaps.
• Rows without a valid timestamp are skipped.

These assumptions are temporary and in the future be optionally specified at upload time.

Register Time Series Data

Register time series CSV files with the time_series top-level key in your upload JSON.

Time series upload JSON

{
  "time_series": [
    {
      "objectUrl": "s3://my-bucket/sensors/session-001.csv",
      "title": "Session 001 telemetry",
      "clientMetadata": {
        "vehicle": "A-17",
        "route": "north-loop"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Then register the JSON file through the existing data registration flow:

• UI: Manual Data Registration
• SDK: Import/Register Data

Annotating Time Series Data

Open a time series task in the Label Editor. The timeline displays the channels above the annotation rows. Annotators can use the chart as context while creating and reviewing time range labels.

For Composite Scenes, the timeline also displays each non-timestamp column from attached time series CSV streams. For MCAP Scenes, it displays every numeric time series sub-channel advertised by the file.

To label intervals on a time series file, add a Time range object to your Ontology. Time range labels appear on the timeline and can be used to mark events, anomalies, or segments of interest.

The chart supports multiple channels. Channels are color-coded, and the timeline view can show time range labels below the chart. Time series uses the same timeline annotation interactions as other temporal modalities:

1. Select the Time range class.
2. Create a range on the timeline for the event or segment you want to label.
3. Adjust the range boundaries as needed.
4. Submit the task when all required labels are complete.

Time Series in Data Groups

When a Data Group layout assigns a time series file to a tile, the Label Editor displays its channels in that tile instead of repeating them in the shared timeline. The chart stays synchronized with the group’s frame navigation and displays the current frame cursor. Scroll to pan the chart. To zoom, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) while scrolling, or pinch on a trackpad. You can view existing time range labels, but you cannot create or edit ranges from the tile.

Use Time series style settings in the tile toolbar to display each channel as a line or points and adjust its line width or point size. Encord assigns different default colors to channels across time series tiles so that you can distinguish them.

Customize Time Series Channels

Use the channel controls in the timeline to adjust how each CSV channel appears in the chart.

You can:

• Hide or show individual channels.
• Set a custom channel color.
• Change the channel style between line and points.
• Resize the channel by changing line width or point size.

Customization of channel appearances is currently only possible while opening the time series in the editor, but will be possible at upload time in the future.