User-manual/Starting-a-Fudaa-LSPIV-study.md

+# Table of Contents
+
+[**3. Starting a _Fudaa-LSPIV_ Study**](#starting-a-fudaa-lspiv-study)
+
+- [Prerequisites for Starting a **_Fudaa-LSPIV_** Study](#pencil-prerequisites-for-starting-a-fudaa-lspiv-study)
+- [Creating a New Study](#page_facing_up-creating-a-new-study)
+- [Opening an Existing Study](#file_folder-opening-an-existing-study)
+- [Architecture of a **_Fudaa-LSPIV_** Project](#books-architecture-of-a-fudaa-lspiv-project)
+
+# :pencil: Prerequisites for starting a **_Fudaa-LSPIV_** Study
+
+Before starting a **_Fudaa-LSPIV_** study, you need to have the necessary input data:
+
+- Images of a flow, either in the form of a video or a sequence of images (all images in the sequence must be spaced by the same time interval, and this interval must be precisely known). Image capture should be done without movement. If there are unwanted movements affecting the images, it may be useful to align the images using the Stabilization step.
+- When acquiring the videos, be mindful of potential reflections, the good visibility of tracers, and their proper distribution in the image. If the flow does not naturally present patterns, visible tracers can be added. However, it is important to ensure that they move at the same speed as the flow.
+- A geometric description of the imaged area, such as reference points visible in the images with known real-world coordinates, or scaling elements, to perform the [orthorectification](#further-details).
+- For flow measurement applications, refer to the image capture guidelines provided during the FloodScale project.
+
+# 
+
+# :page_facing_up: Creating a new study
+
+To create a new study, click the **_Create_** icon ![image7](uploads/146a75ba1b0c630985bf330dca97aae2/image7.png) in the quick access toolbar.
+
+![image8](uploads/d4bda6284d3b00f566922c5ad4e2823b/image8.png)
+
+Alternatively, follow the menu **_File 🡪 Create_**. The corresponding keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+N.
+
+# :file_folder: Opening an existing study
+
+To open an existing study, click the **_Open_** icon ![image9](uploads/144b2e0f82ea7719e7cb0452018e1dfe/image9.png) in the quick access toolbar.
+
+![image10](uploads/15af1f621364a39a9ae7df88fc403e31/image10.png)
+
+Alternatively, follow the menu **_File 🡪 Open_**. The corresponding keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+O.
+
+> The **_File 🡪 Reopen_** menu allows you to access one of the last saved studies.
+
+# :books: Architecture of a **_Fudaa-LSPIV_** project
+
+**_Fudaa-LSPIV_** projects are saved via the **_File 🡪 Save_** menu as a file with the extension [**_.lspiv.zip_**]().
+
+The architecture of a **_Fudaa-LSPIV_** project consists of several folders:
+
+- **_img_pgm_**: contains the source images in .pgm format used for processing;
+- **_img_transf_**: contains a cache folder of orthorectified images in .gif format, which are smaller in size (optimized for display); orthorectified images in .pgm format are not saved (the .pgm files are empty).
+- **_outputs.dir_**: contains the calculation files and LSPIV parameters;
+- **_transects_**: contains the data of projected and interpolated bathymetric transects;
+- **_vel_filter_**: contains the files of filtered LSPIV instantaneous velocity results, in image coordinates;
+- **_vel_raw_**: contains the files of raw LSPIV instantaneous velocity results, in image coordinates;
+- **_vel_real_**: contains the files of filtered LSPIV instantaneous velocity results, in real coordinates;
+- **_vel_scal_**: contains the files of scalar results (velocity magnitude, correlation) calculated from the filtered LSPIV instantaneous velocities, in real coordinates.
+
+![image11](uploads/8df5364a8765a7d21d16ae98e3e5c062/image11.png)
+
+#  
+-> [**Next Section: 4. Managing Source Images**](User-Manual/Managing-Source-Images)