5. Updating Recordings

Once recordings have been collected into incidents, there are a number of ways to examine their properties. Examine detailed properties for any recording by right-clicking a recording and selecting Properties from the menu. The Properties dialog box will appear, allowing you to add information such as notes and to access the audit history of the recording.

Any notes modified in this dialog box are saved back to the recorder on which it originated. Similarly, changing the Protected status of a recording updates the recording’s status on the source recorder.

5.1. Call Properties

The Call Properties screen lists the attributes of the selected call recording and includes the following default tabs:

• Properties: provides information about the call properties.

• All: allows you to add information about the call to default or custom metadata fields.

• History: Provides a history of the call.

5.1.1. Properties

The Properties tab provides detailed information about the recording’s location, time, and phone.

Checking the Protected box in the Attributes section will prevent the recording from being deleted by the configured retention settings.

You may add information about the recording in the Notes box. You can also add custom fields at Recording → Custom Fields in Configuration Manager. Custom text fields with a Text Display Type of Standard, Long, or XML will appear here in the properties tab.

Fig. 5.1 Call Properties - Property Tab

5.1.2. All

The All tab includes the custom fields specific to your recorder that contain additional information about the recording. From this screen, you may edit any of the custom field information.

Fig. 5.2 Call Properties - All Tab

5.1.3. History

The History tab provides an audit history of each time this recording has been accessed, including the related user information.

Fig. 5.3 Call Properties - History Tab

5.1.4. Map

The Map tab offers information about location, address, and Geo-Fence data providing critical feedback on a call’s origins.

To toggle map legend, click the map icon.

Fig. 5.4 Toggle Legend On

Fig. 5.5 Toggle Legend On

New in version 2024.1.

Selected call events show a 2 mile radius of the surrounding areas on the call property map.

Fig. 5.6 Call Property Map View

5.1.5. Edit Call Properties

MediaWorks EXP offers the ability to configure, edit, and add new Call Property tabs in order to give quick access to a user’s data and feedback.

Configure Call Properties

To configure your Call Properties, highlight a track and select Edit Call Properties under Menu Bar -> Tools

Fig. 5.7 Call Properties Configure

When you select the settings icon in the top right corner, you’ll be able to customize your Properties tabs to add and organize detailed information that your user needs as well as add additional header sections and adjust layout between single columns, double columns, or annotation sections.

Add Additional Call Properties

To add more tabs to your Call Properties, select Edit Call Properties in the Menu Bar, and select the + in the top right corner. This will give you the ability to add new tabs, create multiple headers within each tab, and apply new fields within each of those sections.

Fig. 5.8 Call Properties New Tab

Call Properties Embedded View

New in version 2023.1.

Call Properties can be viewed in its own window, or you can dock it on the right-hand side of the main menu window.

To move embed the call properties window into the main menu window:

• Click the – symbol in the Call Properties box to dock the window into the call grid

Fig. 5.9 Call Properties Pop-up Dialog

Fig. 5.10 Embedded View

The second embedded view can be toggled by double-clicking the divider between the call grid and the timeline:

Fig. 5.11 Embedded View Option 2

5.2. Editing Call Notes in the Call Grid

If you make the Note column visible, you can edit call notes directly in the call grid by double clicking on the field associated with a call. If you want to edit the note for the next call, hit enter to finish this note and move to the next. Once you have a note entered in one or more calls in a given search or incident, you can also reuse previous notes by clicking on a call then opening an autocomplete menu that will list the notes from other calls in this view, as seen below.

Fig. 5.12 Note Autocomplete Menu

5.3. Annotating Calls

Annotation allows you to make notes in a recording at the precise time in the recording that is of interest. For example, you can mark where someone on the line starts yelling, or when a sound in the background caught your attention. Annotations are visible on the timeline as a little yellow pin marker, and if you hover your mouse over them, the text will pop up, in this case “A comment about this moment in time.”:

Fig. 5.13 Text Annotation in the Timeline

Annotations are paired to the call, so the pin will be visible in any search, browse or incident that includes it. To add an annotation, right-click on the call and select Add Text Annotation. This will open the Annotation editor, with the Date set to the time of where you initially clicked.

Fig. 5.14 Editing an Annotation

You can adjust the time alignment by configuring the date in this window; if you want the annotation to precisely align with the start or end of the call, you can use the left (start) and right (end) arrows around the date to set it to the start or the end.

When looking at the properties of a call record that has been annotated, a list of these annotations will appear at the bottom of the properties window.

Fig. 5.15 Properties showing Annotations

5.3.1. Audio Annotations

Annotations can also include audio, if you have a microphone attached to your computer and are using Firefox, Chrome, or Edge (Chromium). Internet Explorer does not support the necessary web technologies for this feature to work.

For privacy reasons, using a microphone with MediaWorks EXP requires that you grant explicit permission to the web browser to use the microphone; this is handled by the browser. It also requires HTTPS.

Fig. 5.16 Audio Annotation Microphone Permission Prompt in Firefox

Fig. 5.17 Audio Annotation Microphone HTTPS Prompt

Audio Annotations can include text like a regular Annotation, but by using a microphone you can provide commentary on any call, at any point in the call. Right click on the call in the timeline at the point you wish to annotate, grant permission to the microphone (once per session) and then click the button with the red dot in a circle to start recording.

Once you are recording, the timer on the side will count up to the maximum of 60 seconds of recording time. Click the same button again to stop recording. You can then playback the recording by pressing the play icon (triangle) in the audio widget that appeared after clicking stop.

You can delete the recording by pressing the red X circle button and you can save by clicking OK. Playback the call and you will hear the audio annotation, surrounded by a beep at start and end, at the point in the call you placed it.

Audio Annotations are played back by default but can be turned off in the Playback menu.

Fig. 5.18 Audio Annotation Error: No Microphone

5.3.2. Annotation Images

Annotation images can be added to specific times on the timeline in recordings to help visually identify a crucial moment or a critical event that occurs in the call. Image annotations can accompany text or audio annotations as a visual aid. MediaWorks EXP provides a variety of image annotations that you can add to recordings.

To add an image annotation:

1. Hover your cursor over the specific time in the timeline marker that you wish to annotate.

2. Right-click and select Add Text Annotation. The Annotation box appears.

   

   Fig. 5.19 Annotation Box

3. Add a note to your annotation in the note field. This note will become visible when you hover your cursor over the icon in the timeline.

4. Set the permissions for your annotation.

   1. Owner only permissions only allow the owner to view and edit the annotation.

   2. Read only permissions enable other users to view the annotation but they cannot edit it.

   3. Read/Write permissions enable other users to view and also edit the annotation.

5. If needed, adjust the date of your annotation.

   1. Change the date either by selecting the arrow key icons, entering values in the text box, or by selecting the calendar icon to the right of the textbox.

6. Select the icon you wish to add to the timeline.

7. Click OK. The icon appears on the timeline. Hover your cursor over the icon to see the text annotation. If you did not add a text annotation, the text will appear as <Blank Annotation>.

   

   Fig. 5.20 Image and Text Annotation on the Timeline

To edit or delete image annotations:

1. Right-click the image annotation icon on the timeline. A box appears with the options to modify or delete the annotation.

2. Select Modify Annotation to edit the annotation.

3. Select Delete Annotation to remove the annotation from the timeline.

Fig. 5.21 Modifying or Deleting Annotation Options