T-Area-Marker for Scientific Images

Abstract: Labeled images are one of the most important means of scientific communication and education. However, traditional markers (arrows, lines) are point markers; do not include information about how large the feature is. We designed an efficient marker system for labeling scientific images (electron or light microscopy, CT, MRI, ultrasonography, camera pictures, etc), called the “T Area Marker, (TAM)”. The basic TAM marker looks like a “T”, composed of a line segment and a small tick on one end; it defines an imagined circle that stands on the tickless end and the diameter of the circle is equal to the length of the line segment. Thus the TAM can define an exact area rather than a single point; and the imagined circle does not break the continuity of the image (unlike traditional visible circles, rectangles, etc). A TAM with N ticks (N>1) means the diameter equals to N times the length of TAM. A TAM may also have a tail and/or several tail branches to define translation of the imagined circle, thus define complicated areas. tAreaMarker.py is free software that combines the drawing and reading of TAMs, although in most cases TAMs are easily interpreted without computer assistance.