Free movement

Data acquisition

Two routines or protocols can be used.

• The first routine uses the Behavioral Testing Facility at the UCC (located in the basic-science building). We are able to offer an integrated system for automatic recording of movement and behavior. The facility posses a sound protected cabin large enough to be used with medium size animals (i.e. rabbits). After the experimental design is created, the video equipment will allow to observe and to record the movements of the animals with the simultaneous data collection on a high performance computer. When the experiment is over, you can view the tracks of the animals and analyze the data.
• Alternatively you can send us the video (ej. MPEG) in which the animal movement is produced and then we will be able to analyze the data using our high performance computer in our facility. We only require that you tell us the parameters that you
  require to be analyzed.

Data analysis

The acquisition and analysis program that we are using (EthoVision v.3.0) converts the video image of your tracked object into a series of <x, y> coordinates producing a layout of the spreadsheet. The Analysis module turns these coordinates into parameters able to be introduced in final statistical and graphics software for your publication.

Behavior Output Parameters

A ranges of dependent variables (parameters) as well as descriptive statistics of the parameters are the output of the analyzed data Your data will be exported to a spreadsheet or statistical program of your preference to perform statistical tests on your data.

Table 1. Output parameters

General Parameters	Specific parameters
Distance and time parameters	In zone
	Distance to zone
	Distance to zone border
	Distance to point
	Distance moved
	Velocity
Path shape parameters	Heading
	Turn angle
	Angular velocity
	Meander
Individual behavior parameters	Movement
	Rearing
Social Behavior parameters	Distance between objects
	Relative movement
	Proximity
	Speed of moving to
	Speed of moving from
	Net relative movement