Identaxy is an iOS mobile app designed for UT’s Astrophysics department to assist with automating the process of identifying galaxies. The Astrophysics department needed an app that would allow users, namely UT students interested in gaining research credits, to quickly and easily tag photos of space based on whether or not the photos resembled galaxies using a “Tinder-like” swiping mechanic.
This app consists of a login screen using Firebase for authentication, a “swipe screen” in which the user can tag photos, settings, etc. The app uses the TACC database for fetching photos. The photo data is stored in json format per user in order to catch “faulty users,” such as when a person is swiping only in one direction to try to unfairly gain credit, or when a user gives two different answers to the same photo when it is repeated.
So far, the app is waiting to be released, pending the approval of the department.