SPECTATOR GO!
Spectator GO! is a mobile solution for observational data acquisition using handheld computers based on the PalmTM OS or Pocket PC. The newest version on Apple iPhone even uses the built in GPS to geo-tag your records. The system includes a front end for MS-Windows for the configuration and the data analysis.
No more pencil and paper work!
With this system it is possible to acquire observational data in nearly any situation. Use it during your field work or in situations where you have no access to a desktop computer or laptop.
The software enables you to gather 14 different behaviors of 5 different subjects (Basic version) or 56 behaviors of 10 subjects (Professional version).
Each behavior can be defined as an event or a status. Interactive behaviors (e.g. talking) are gathered with both participants (the active and the passive one).
Read this article (Facilitating task based noise exposure assessments utilizing PDAs, Dana C. Reinke, Paul Jurovcik, Jr and Barbara Fotta) to see how this software has been used in a study of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Pittsburgh Research Laboratory.
The Spectator GO! software consists of two parts: one part is a MS-Windows or Mac OS X software for configuration and data analysis and the other part is the software for handheld computers that are used for data acquisition. You can start right away with your first experiment after installing the software.
After the configuration of the input template (Subject names, behaviors) this configuration is transferred to the handheld. Now you can acquire your data by simply clicking with a pen on the appropriate buttons on the handheld computer screen. Back in your office just connect the handheld to your desktop or laptop computer and transfer the data files on the PC. The graphic functions that are included in the desktop software allow you to process your data and generate ethograms within seconds. Of course you can export the data to your preferred data processing tools using various export filters that are included in the software.