A comparison of common behavioral observation software applications and recommendations for use
Date:
With many behavioral observation applications available, our challenge is choosing the most appropriate platform that fits a particular study question, research design, budget, and desired amount of preparatory time. We review Animal Behaviour Pro, Animal Observer, BORIS, CyberTracker, Prim8, and ZooMonitor and discuss the preliminary decisions that have to be made about the study design. We assess the six applications by reviewing 1) which behavioral sampling methods are possible per platform, 2) the setup and data collection routines, 3) the data output format, and 4) how to customize certain platforms so they will work more effectively for particular study aims or sampling methods. Our goal is to help researchers make calculated decisions about what behavioral observation platform is best for their study system and question.
