Remote, home, and hybrid work has become a norm and will likely continue to be in the future. To assure efficient and productive collaboration, the need for simple yet secure data sharing has become of the utmost importance for academic and clinical researchers, those in Biopharma, CROs, and their teams. Good laboratory practice has never been easier with BehaviorCloud for efficient data and record collection, analysis, and sharing on a unified cloud platform. As opposed to traditional mediums of collection and analysis that is usually limited to a single device/system, BehaviorCloud allows for remote access to your experiments and your data, increasing research productivity and efficiency. Data collection can be collected from previous data or performed in real-time via live streaming with high-throughput capabilities to utilise as many data streams as you have available. By using a secure cloud-based system, researchers can collect data or input records, collaborate, and share data anytime and anywhere without the worry of security breaches. Furthermore, BehaviorCloud is compatible with Android and iOS mobile devices and can be used on multiple devices such as desktop, tablet, and mobile. On top of the shareability and connectivity features, the platform allows researchers to take full advantage of cloud data streaming and storage.

In addition to live streaming of your experiments, BehaviorCloud also offers the option of automated behavior tracking of animal and insect movements. Tracked behaviors of tasks using apparatus such as Elevated Plus Maze,  Open-Field Test, Morris Water Maze, and Y-Maze can then be used to generate a range of data such as average velocity, number of visits, and latencies. For more complex behaviors such as nesting and walking, the platform comes equipped with an augmented manual scoring feature. In many cases, no additional equipment is required in order to use BehaviorCloud and you can get started in minutes from home or the laboratory.

BehaviorCloud has been trusted to manage the data of major academic institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Okayama University, and Ohio State University and research institutes such as NASA, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, SRI International, and Zafgen.

Register with BehaviorCloud to create a secure cloud-based account for your research needs at home or on-site. BehaviorCloud has the capacity to function on multiple devices such as desktop, mobile, or tablet. To use BehaviorCloud live streaming in your facility, power on your BehaviorCloud camera and add the device to your BehaviorCloud account via ethernet or to your wireless network. Once configured, the camera, which includes 8GB of storage capacity, can be used to begin video capture of short- or long-term behavioral tasks without any intervention. Captured footage is streamed straight to your BehaviorCloud account. The BehaviorCloud camera is also night vision capable and compatible with all standard IR illuminators for experiments in low and no light conditions. The BehaviorCloud camera is available to purchase alone, as part of the camera equipment bundle, and included in the BehaviorCloud starter package.

The BehaviorCloud system is compatible with most rodent behavioral mazes and apparatuses including

In order to take full advantage of BehaviorCloud, the following practices are recommended,

• Ensure that the experimental set-up is well lit and in focus of the camera.
• For experiments that require dim light or darkness, the use of red light or infrared-light source (based on device specifications) is recommended to capture clear videos.
• Ensure that the experiments are recorded in a low traffic area to avoid shadows or other interferences from affecting the tracking or behaviors of the subjects.
• Ensure all cameras are securely mounted/fixed, so they do not shift during recordings.
• Ensure that the apparatus is maintained in a fixed position to avoid data discrepancies.
• Ensure all your connected devices have access to a stable internet connection and power source.
• A wide-angle lens is recommended for close up videos to achieve the desired field of view.

BehaviorCloud allows researchers and their teams to take advantage of a unified cloud system for their research needs. The cloud-based platform provides researchers with ample data storage capacity, fully included in the subscription. This provides high-throughput data collection with allowances for multiple data streams while ensuring the security of the data. Further, the BehaviorCloud enables remote, on-site, and at home participation and collaboration on the same platform. These features allow easy sharing and collaboration of experimental data and records across laboratories and observation of experiments via internet enabled devices including mobile phones, desktop, and tablets.

BehaviorCloud is easy to set-up and ready to use within minutes. The platform has an intuitive, user-friendly interface with minimal learning curve. All Internet-enabled devices in the laboratory can be connected to the platform and remotely controlled. BehaviorCloud is compatible with most camera devices. BehaviorCloud behavior tracking software allows for the tracking of behaviors in both live and pre-recorded videos. Additionally, data can also be analyzed manually on BehaviorCloud.

Advantages

• The Laboratory Notebook:

The Lab notebook stores all your data in one place, from raw to completed data sets. Every version of each dataset is saved and tagged. Each experimental process is tracked, accountable, and repeatable. Good laboratory practices are easier than ever with BehaviorCloud.

• Connect Instruments

Bridge technology connects your existing lab equipment to the cloud to enable remote control of experiments and real-time data streaming directly into your account. This makes the process of collecting and analyzing multidimensional data for high-throughput studies easier.

• Built-in Analysis Suite

Built-in analysis and visualization tools are provided for all compatible data collection sources, including photobeam activity systems, video-based activity/ behavior tracking, and manual behavioral coding.

• Collaboration and Sharing

You are in control of your own data with permissions management which provides the option to invite collaborators to view, comment, and contribute to an experiment. Management of your project is even easier with the ability to oversee progress, assign responsibilities, and transfer projects from one team member to another.

• Secure Data Storage

With all your data and progress backed-up on the cloud, worries of losing you data are forgotten. We adhere to the strictest industry security standards to protect your data. Information security studies (should we cite this?) show data is safer on the cloud than stored locally.

Points to keep in mind

Video tracking can be affected by the camera quality. Appropriate lighting set-up must be used to obtain a clear video. It is recommended that the recordings be performed in a low traffic area to avoid any interference from affecting the video recording or the subject’s performances. A wide-angle lens may be required for close-up videos to cover the desired area of recording. The positioning of the cameras and the apparatuses that are recorded should be constant throughout the recording to avoid data discrepancies.

1. Log-in to your BehaviorCloud account on all the devices being used for the experiment.
2. Position and securely mount/fix cameras ensuring the tracking boundary is as tight as possible to the maze to exclude any extraneous movements.
3. Using the device set for controlling the experiments, open the BehaviorCloud account in the browser and click My Tests in the left-hand menu. Create a new experiment by clicking the ‘_­+’ (plus sign) at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
4. Enter the Experiment Name and short description (optional) and select the Automated Video Tracking option from the drop-down menu.
5. Click Run a Live Test to get directed to the experiment page.
6. On the experiment page, click Calibration to initiate distance calibration. Place the printed calibration pattern into the maze in full view. Using the drop-down menu select the camera device to initiate distance calibration. Click Next to save and apply the distance calibration to the entire experiment.
7. Following distance calibration, on the experiment page click Experiment Video and click the ‘_­+’ (plus sign) to add a new trial.
8. Using the drop-down menu select the desired recording device and enter the Subject ID and the trial length in seconds. Click the arrow on the clear arena prompt to advance to the next screen. Click the arrow on the insert subject prompt after placing the subject to begin trial recording.
9. Trials will terminate as per the values entered, and a new prompt for the next subject will appear.

1. Log-in to your BehaviorCloud account and click My Test in the left-hand menu. Create a new experiment by clicking the ‘_­+’ (plus sign) at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
2. Enter the Experiment Name and short description (optional) and select the Automated Video Tracking option from the drop-down menu.
3. Choose the Upload Existing Data to get directed to the experiment page and upload the videos. Click Experiment Video to upload files individually or in bulk by dragging and dropping.
4. On the experiment page, click Calibration to initiate distance calibration. Using the tools provided draw a line of known length on the preview image. Enter the values for the lines in centimeters. Click
5. Click on the uploaded video and a tool for specifying timestamps will appear. Using the top slider set the timestamp for the background image when the arena is clear. Click Set Cleared Timestamp. Next, using the bottom slider set the timestamp for when the animal is inserted, and tracking should begin. Click Set Inserted Timestamp. Click Save and Finalize.

1. Log-in to your BehaviorCloud account and click My Test in the left-hand menu.
2. On the experiment page, click Experiment Video to play back video or download raw video files as .mp4 files.
3. On the experiment page, click Tracking Boundary to set area to be tracked. Using the shape tools provided cover the maze area and click Save. (Optional but recommended)
4. Following setting of tracking boundary, on the experiment page select Raw Position Data to generate raw tracked data for the experiment. Tracked video data and locomotion path of the animal can be viewed and/or downloaded by clicking on the individual subjects once the analysis is complete.
5. On the experiment page, set the zones of the maze by selecting Zone Maps. Enter the names for each zone and click Save. (Optional)
6. For data analysis, on the experiment page select one of the following four options
   • Activity Analysis: Generates unzoned activity data.
   • Zoned Activity Analysis: Generates activity data broken into zones, according to the zones specified in Zone Maps.
   • Zoned Sequence Analysis: Lists the zones entered in order of entry.
   • Spontaneous Alternation: Calculates percent spontaneous alternation in three-arm mazes like Y-maze or T-maze.

A prompt to segment the trial into time bins will appear before generation of analyzed data. Values can be entered in seconds, or the field can be left black.

7. Analyzed data can be downloaded as a .csv file and imported directly into a data visualization program or statistical analysis software.