Import Live Mouse Tracker data

Aim

To import Live Mouse Tracker (LMT) data into an EthoVision XT experiment.

Background information

You are going to import the information contained in the LMT database. The LMT database consists of a number of tables, each containing specific data, for example the subjects, the coordinates of the detected subjects, the list of events like Stop or Contact, the configurations the output variables, etc.

A Live Mouse Tracker database does not contain video. To import video into EthoVision XT, the original video files must be stored in the folder where the LMT database is stored.

Prerequisites

▪You use EthoVision XT 17.5 or a later version.

▪Your EthoVision XT license includes the Social Interaction add-on module. See Upgrade EthoVision XT

▪You have created an EthoVision XT experiment of type Live Mouse Tracker. See Live Mouse Tracker: Create an experiment

▪You have one or more Live Mouse Tracker database files (*.sqlite). EthoVision XT supports import of data of LMT version 1.0.3.

▪important We strongly recommend that you keep databases and video of different Live Mouse Tracker recordings in different folders. This to prevent that EthoVision XT merges video of different experiments in one. when importing the databases.

Procedure

1.Open the Live Mouse Tracker experiment in EthoVision XT.

2.Choose Setup > Trial List.

3.Click the Import Trials button on the toolbar.

4.in the window that opens, select Live Mouse Tracker data (databases) and click OK.

5.The Select files window opens. To add a database, click the Add button, select the database you want to import and click Open.

▪Repeat this step to select a new database. You can only select one database file at a time.

▪To remove one file from the list of added files, select that file and click Delete.

▪You cannot add a database twice in the same experiment.

6.Once you have completed the list of the databases to be imported, click the Import button.

note Import of long recordings may take several minutes.

7.Each database is imported as a new trial.

8.You are ready to analyze the data. Open an Analysis profile and add the Live Mouse Tracker variables. See Dependent Variables in Detail > Live Mouse Tracker

Notes

▪Each Live Mouse Tracker database results in one trial when imported into EthoVision XT. Check that in the Trial List.

▪Live Mouse Tracker makes 10-minute video fragments. At import, EthoVision XT merges those fragments in one video file, which is imported and linked to the trial.

▪During the transition from one video fragment to the next one, Live Mouse Tracker does not record video frames. This means that there is a gap between adjacent video fragments. An offset between video and data may occur when visualizing the trial. EthoVision XT cannot compensate for this, however it places the next 10-minute fragment at the correct time point and restores synchronicity between video and data.

▪Calculation of some behaviors is based on fixed thresholds that were used during data acquisition. For example the speed thresholds that are used to define the behavior category Move. You cannot change those thresholds cannot be modified in EthoVision XT.

▪When you import Live Mouse Tracker data, the Trial List contains two additional independent variables:

▪RFID. This shows the RFID code of each subject.

▪Original dataset. This shows the location and the name of the original database file that was imported (*.sqlite).