Product Release: Introducing ECHOES

ECHOES is a new workstation-based product for reviewing, filtering, annotating, reporting, and sharing images and videos from user-managed case folders.
ECHOES is designed for users who maintain their own permanent storage, separate from ECHOES+ managed organizational storage and auditing.

Features

• Expanded ECHOES+ annotations with freehand, arrows, rectangles, ellipses, and text boxes, including selection and editing controls.
• Expanded camera-file support to include Canon CR2/CR3, Nikon NEF, Sony ARW, and HEIC/HEIF files. ECHOES+ can create a JPEG from a RAW file when one is not available.
• Added ECHOES+ video playback, notes, timestamps, snapshots, and related annotation and reporting workflows.
• Added organization-selectable encrypted or standard storage in ECHOES+, with support for transitioning existing data.
• Redesigned file sharing with separate Images, Videos, and Other Files tabs for clearer file selection.
• Expanded Study-pane compatibility so alternates, video snapshots, and supporting images can be opened, reviewed, annotated, and included in reports.

Improvements

• Redesigned single-folder, multiple-folder, and SD-card imports with clearer navigation, media previews, and Case ID confirmation.
• Expanded Archive and Recovery to preserve relationships between images, alternates, videos, snapshots, reports, and supporting files.
• Added duplicate Case ID warnings before a case is stored. A conflicting case can be corrected or skipped without stopping the remaining imports.
• Improved support for corrupted files so unaffected cases and files can continue processing.
• Improved matching between RAW files and JPEGs and made handling of alternates, crops, screenshots, and supporting images more reliable.
• Updated image reports with clearer pages for original, filtered, annotated, and alternate images.
• Improved handling of large videos during playback and sharing to reduce memory usage and interface freezing.
• Added patient-folder tooltips showing the Case ID, stored file count, and total case size.
• Improved responsive layouts across smaller screens, different display scaling, and multiple monitors.
• Improved ECHOES+ import workflows with duplicate Case ID checks, SD-card assignment previews, and clearer retry, import, and cancel options when an SD card is unavailable.
• Improved audit-log readability, detailed entry viewing, and PDF export formats.
• Improved Share File failure handling so failed preparation does not publish an incomplete package.
• Improved background synchronization, backup recovery, and application shutdown reliability.
• Improved identification of which images and video snapshots are eligible for DCF processing.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed names in Case IDs being incorrectly recognized as legacy NIF images.
• Fixed corrupted video files stopping the remainder of a multiple-folder import.
• Fixed large-video sharing warnings and improved responsiveness while large files are being packaged.
• Fixed overflow warnings that could appear while packaging very large files for sharing.

Features

• Introduced formal installer for managing ECHOES installation process.
• Implemented a redesigned data storage system for improved performance and multi-user operation.

Improvements

• Significantly improved startup, case-loading, and general application performance.
• Improved synchronization, backup, and recovery of case information, annotations, and audit activity.
• Improved installation validation and shortcut management.
• Polished audit log and metadata information viewing systems.
• Implemented storage safety checks to confirm sufficient space is available in both local and network storage locations before processing a case.
• Improved initialization error messages to provide more specific and helpful information.

Bug Fixes

• Prevented multi-user sessions from causing audit log corruption and session freezing.

Features

• Enabled ability to filter and sort thumbnails in preview window.

Improvements

• Implemented non-consecutive searching in folder selection search box.
• Enhanced thumbnail preview pane to include thumbnail instead of just file names.
• Updated network push/pull to only occur when necessary to optimize user workflow.
• Updated saving and back up recovery process.

Bug Fixes

• Corrected behavior for importing corrupted files and added more detail.
• Session timeout's now paused during case importation.

Features

• Implemented user inactivity time outs.

Improvements

• Adjusted desktop path saving to account for varying configurations.
• Enhanced multi-user experience through push/pull network syncs.

Bug Fixes

• Created exception process if external files are open when ECHOES closes.

Features

• Implemented privacy mode, a way to hide sensitive thumbnail previews while reviewing cases.
• Created method to clear all draw annotations from an image.
• Created role based activities for archiving case data and viewing/recovering those archive records.
• Set archived data to have customizable retention policy per user request. Default is 90 days to deletion.

Improvements

• Added rationale when Updating Case ID.
• Files within subfolders are not included during case import.
• Store new case defaults to import workflow if proper media not found.
• Enhanced user experience and messaging for ECHOES loading screen and Share application.
• Updated Tools button to create new window rather than toolbar.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed scenario where corrupted files blocked case processing, then were showing up in process even after removed and causing errors.
• Fixed bug causing toggling all filtered images to take large amounts of time.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed scenario where no images being imported into the system at initial launch prevented the user from loading the patient folder or metadata log.
• Added verification steps to Update Case ID to ensure all expected data is present prior to finalizing Case ID updates.

Features

• Included measures to handle corrupted files with bad metadata.

Improvements

• Implemented network optimization measures through local cache system.
• Extended capability of software to function with screenshots, duplicates, and multiple variants of images.
• Improved responsiveness of platform.
• Added function to audit/metadata log viewing for multiple filters to be applied.

Bug Fixes

• Corrected date time stamp of metadata fields.
• Fixed issue where images could not be uploaded if only documents had been uploaded previously.
• Updated process for showing/hiding all filtered images to improve performance.

Features

• Created Video playback UI with manual seek and frame skipping ability.
• Document only cases can now be imported.
• Updated Zoom capability to include manual zoom up to 100% (via interface or mouse scroll-wheel) of entire image with CTRL+Left-Click dragging capability.
• Added ability to update the date of the case for increased flexibility.

Improvements

• Modernized database system for enhanced performance.
• Updated File Deletion Protocol to securely delete files following a three step validation process.
• Selecting the case folder that is already loaded does not reload the case.
• Enhanced error messages in various ways.
• Performed workflow optimizations.
• Implemented confirmation to avoid accidental closing of ECHOES.
• Updated information available within the progress bar during various processes.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed bug where SD card was not clearing after Storing a New Case.
• Fixed message where Add to Case was stating error when no files are selected

Features

• Released ECHOES-DCF, a product designed to provide access to SDFI's DCF for those who already have a photodocumentation system in place.

Improvements

• Updated mechanism for editable documents so multiple files can be opened at the same time including Word, PDF, images, etc.
• Added descriptions to buttons when studying an image, simply hover your cursor over the button you are interested in using.
• Improved handling of metadata keys for consistency.

Bug Fixes

• When metadata for an existing case does not exist, set view filter checkbox to False by default.
• Included update to handle migration to new web server hosting platform.
• Audit log export now shows all appropriate columns.
• Appropriately handle case where the modified time and the date of an image were different causing the verification step to fail.
• Fixed issue causing ECHOES to hang when trying to access without updating when available.

Features

• Implemented official ECHOES branding.
• Created mechanism to import up to 10 folders at a time.
• Added ability to change sorting of Case Folders list.
• Reconfigured loading screen to ensure it shows up earlier in the loading process.
• Expanded capability of Import to bring in documents or videos only without image related files.
• Implemented ability to set time stamps when non-image related files are uploaded or during update Case ID.
• Implemented very robust error handling with Tech Support Console and specific error codes.

Improvements

• Include sub-second time stamps on image metadata so multiple images taken quickly can be processed correctly.
• Added a scroll bar to the Tools button frame for monitors of different sizes.
• Added ability to change column size of file table to see entire file name.
• Saved states of the filtered checkboxes for images.
• Default when updating Case ID set to current Case ID.
• Re-extract details of image files if they are missing.
• Enhanced ability to handle multiple users including back up procedures and additional file locking.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed bug where including a space at the end of the Case ID would create an error.
• Targeted Store New Case function to search for image specific files.
• Added file extension to misc. file types to prevent one file type icon from being applied to multiple files with the same names, but different types.
• Updated logic of Add to Case function.
• Updated Image Table to ensure the order is in numerical order.
• Regenerate image report exports so the Case ID is corrected when updating Case ID.
• Annotations carried forward following Case ID update.
• Fixed issue where videos were not being processed during Store New Case.
• Fixed bug related to older generation images not processing correctly.
• Fixed bug where progress bar was showing >100% by the end of file processing.

Improvements

• Added more robust error logging throughout program.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed Audit log bug causing the report to only show the first character of some fields.
• Fixed intermittent bug related to Report Creation of images and corresponding annotations when stored files on network server.
• Added check to ensure DCF images are not fully processed when imported from legacy cases.
Fixed bug where shared files would duplicate during Share File creation if image numbers were contained within the Case ID.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed bug related to "Share" function not working when a document was not included in the Case Folder.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed bug related to "Import Case" function not running properly.

Feature Updates

• Update and optimize file importing and sharing to be able to handle all file types
• Non-image files now supported, including ability to edit files. Action recorded in the audit log
• Rename and index video files
• Added ability to rename files if there is a user error during input. Action recorded in the audit log.
• Added a Passphrase strength meter during Share File Creation
• Added feature to encrypt any unencrypted files found within a case folder. Action recorded in the audit log.
• Added feature to add new files of any type to a case. Included drag and drop functionality.
• Added error handling if certain files cannot be accessed
• Updated to allow for controlled import of NIF legacy images

Improvements

• Logic to determine multiple cases from SD Card updated to include user input rather than be time based
• Enhanced image pairing methodology to be more robust
• Updated logic for the export report feature within the image pane so the file is shown and is selectable from the main UI
• Updated Share File checklist table so that if the RAW file is not available, the "RAW" checkbox and the "RAW" function button within the open image pane are both disabled
• Updated image indexing to not be reliant on initial file naming structure

Bug Fixes

• Fixed bug when transferring multiple cases from an SD Card
• Fixed bug related to case ID list not refreshing after Case was added
• Fixed bug where entire file path was showing within the progress bar during the Add Files to Case function
• Fixed bug where UI would intermittently freeze after generating a report from the image pane and viewing it

Updates & Improvements

• Fixed screen scaling issues on high-resolution monitors.
• Added a software initialization loading screen for better startup feedback.
• Implemented automatic version check and update notifications.

Notes

• This update is recommended for all users.
• No changes were made to data handling or encryption protocols.

Initial Launch

• First official release of the standalone SDFI Software.
• Replaced previous third-party utilities with a fully integrated system for encryption, image pairing, and photodocumentation workflow.