Ethogram definition file
Complete ethogram exported as JSON — shareable across lab members, importable on any ConductVision installation.
JSON
← Capabilities
Ethogram Builder
Structured behavioral event catalogs for standardized scoring
Define hierarchical behavioral categories, mutually exclusive event groups, and keyboard shortcut assignments — standardize scoring across your entire lab.
Hierarchical
Category organization
Yes
Mutual exclusivity groups
Yes
Keyboard shortcut mapping
JSON
Exportable/shareable format
The problem
Ad-hoc behavior lists produce inconsistent data
Without a formal ethogram, each lab member creates their own behavior list with overlapping categories, ambiguous definitions, and inconsistent terminology. Data from different scorers cannot be compared, and definitions drift over time.
- Informal behavior lists have overlapping and ambiguous categories
- New lab members learn scoring by oral tradition — definitions drift across generations
- Multi-site studies cannot harmonize scoring without a shared, versioned ethogram
The solution
Formal ethogram with definitions, hierarchy, and rules
The ethogram builder provides a structured editor for defining behavioral event catalogs. Events are organized into hierarchical categories, mutual exclusivity groups ensure only one state is active at a time, and each event has a formal definition and keyboard shortcut.
- Hierarchical categories: Locomotion > Walking / Running / Rearing; Social > Approach / Contact / Avoidance
- Mutual exclusivity: grooming and locomoting cannot be scored simultaneously
- Formal definitions: each event includes a text definition with inclusion/exclusion criteria
Endpoints
Ethogram outputs
Scoring template
Ready-to-use annotation template derived from the ethogram — keyboard shortcuts pre-assigned, categories pre-configured.
JSON
Ethogram documentation
Human-readable ethogram document with event names, definitions, hierarchy, and exclusivity rules — for lab protocols and publications.
PDFCSV
Applications
Ethogram applications
Unified lab-wide scoring protocol
Every lab member uses the same ethogram with the same definitions and shortcuts. Training new scorers is systematic rather than oral tradition.
Measures
- Scoring consistency
- Training time reduction
- Inter-rater agreement
Cross-site scoring harmonization
Share ethogram files across collaborating sites to ensure identical behavioral definitions and scoring criteria.
Measures
- Cross-site agreement
- Definition consistency
- Category alignment
Iterative ethogram development
Start with broad categories, refine with sub-categories as you observe new behaviors — the ethogram evolves with your understanding.
Measures
- Category refinement
- New behavior discovery
- Ethogram version history
Structured labels for ML training
Ethogram categories become classifier labels. Structured definitions ensure consistent training data across annotators.
Measures
- Label consistency
- Training data quality
- Classifier performance
Compared to typical systems
How ConductVision differs
| Feature | ConductVision | Typical systems |
|---|---|---|
| Behavior catalog structure | Hierarchical with exclusivity rules | Flat lists |
| Formal definitions | Per-event text definitions | Informal or absent |
| Shareability | Exportable JSON, version-controlled | Paper protocols or spreadsheets |
| Keyboard shortcut integration | Ethogram-driven shortcut assignment | Manual shortcut configuration |
| Mutual exclusivity enforcement | Automatic — prevents conflicting scores | Not enforced |
Related capabilities
Annotation and Manual Scoring
Frame-level manual annotation merged with automated tracking for hybrid human-AI scoring.
Behavior Classification
ML-powered frame-level behavioral classification with temporal smoothing and custom classifier training.
Custom Model Training
Train and validate custom behavior classifiers on lab-specific annotated data.
Build your lab's behavioral vocabulary
Define your ethogram once, share it across your lab, and score consistently from day one.
