16.11.2012 Views

Brain–Computer Interfaces - Index of

Brain–Computer Interfaces - Index of

Brain–Computer Interfaces - Index of

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Using BCI2000 in BCI Research 275<br />

providing such standards, and is versatile enough to accommodate a wide range<br />

<strong>of</strong> needs. Data files consist <strong>of</strong> a human-readable header that provides extensive<br />

documentation, and compact binary data in a single file. Unlike the numeric event<br />

coding present in other file formats (such as GDF), BCI2000 parameters and state<br />

variables (event markers) intentionally avoid a high level <strong>of</strong> formalization while<br />

enforcing the presence <strong>of</strong> all aspects <strong>of</strong> configuration and stimulus presentation in<br />

each single data file.<br />

A second important aspect <strong>of</strong> multi-site cooperation is deployment. Maintaining<br />

s<strong>of</strong>tware installation and configurations on a central data storage connected to the<br />

Internet, and keeping these synchronized in an automated fashion, may greatly<br />

facilitate synchronization <strong>of</strong> experiments across sites and quality control, and will<br />

avoid duplication <strong>of</strong> maintenance effort (Fig. 9).<br />

Here, the advantage <strong>of</strong> BCI2000 is that its binary distribution consists <strong>of</strong> a single<br />

directory tree. Aside from hardware drivers for the data acquisition device, BCI2000<br />

does not require any third-party components. Also, as there is no system-wide<br />

installation procedure required, installing or updating BCI2000 can be done without<br />

administrative privileges, simply by synchronizing with a reference installation.<br />

Finally, multi-site cooperation requires that all data be available for analysis by<br />

researchers at one or multiple sites. Because BCI2000 organizes its data into session<br />

directories, and includes comprehensive documentation <strong>of</strong> recordings that is present<br />

inside data files themselves, it is rather simple to centrally maintain a database<br />

<strong>of</strong> recordings by synchronizing with data directories that exist on measurement<br />

stations.<br />

In summary, the potential <strong>of</strong> BCI2000 in conjunction with a central data storage<br />

and synchronization allows for: deploying s<strong>of</strong>tware and experimental setups to a<br />

Site X<br />

Reference<br />

synchronization synchronization<br />

Installation<br />

synchronization<br />

Experimental Design,<br />

Configuration<br />

Central Data Storage<br />

Recorded Data<br />

Data Analysis<br />

synchronization<br />

Site Y<br />

Fig. 9 Multi-site research data flow. On a central location, a BCI2000 reference installation is<br />

maintained, which contains experiment configuration as well. This installation is synchronized<br />

with measurement equipment located at a number <strong>of</strong> sites (equipment symbolized by laptop computers;<br />

exemplarily, two sites are depicted). Data recordings are synchronized back to the central<br />

storage, where all data are then available for analysis. Typically, synchronization will take place<br />

over Internet connections

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!