Services FAQ
Who are Actual Analytics?
We're a company formed in early 2010 to develop outstanding software to improve the expensive, time consuming bottleneck of animal behavior analysis in scientific labs. Actual brings together experts in Animal Behavior, Usability, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Machine Learning and Enterprise Content Management to make the high quality solutions to improve this slow, manual task. We're headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland and regularly work with scientists across the world. We're a growing company, with our current team of 11, and are always looking for bright, motivated individuals to join us.
What do Actual do?
We help our clients undertake Behavior Analysis experiments quickly and accurately while ensuring they get the largest possible value from the experiments. This is covered in three key areas:
- Working with and training users in the most effective way to design experiments and collect the data they require so that it can be fully automated.
- Providing well designed, easy-to-use software solutions which as far as possible automate the recognition of behaviors from video. These solutions use our patent-pending ibehave platform to identify behaviors as defined by the scientist and not the software.
- Data management once the experiments are complete. We help meet Funding body requirements to make data publicly available while enabling the reuse of data to reduce costs and effort.
Will your solutions work for my research?
If you are undertaking behavioral experiments, chances are that you will know the effort that is involved in collecting data and analyzing results. The significant manual effort undertaken by highly trained researchers is time consuming and can be tedious which has been shown to introduce discrepancies in the quality of the data collected. Actual aims to develop outstanding software which will make this process much more efficient whilst giving accurate, predictable results. We focus on lab animals (rodents, drosophila and fish) but also have experience with both field animal and human subjects. The best way to find out how we can help your research is to contact us to discuss the experiment aims so we can identify areas that could be automated to save time and increase reliability.
What do your training courses cover?
Our flagship: Design, Camera, Action: Automating Behavioral Experiments for Biologists course covers best practices in data collection and analysis using case-studies from labs along with practical examples. Our aim is to customize the course to the needs of those attending to ensure they return to their labs ready to create experiments which are both easily automated and scientifically sound.
What is your "10 Point Validation Check"?
The quality of the video data that is captured has a large impact on how easily data capture and initial analysis can be automated. During our free 10-point check our team review the video data and give you advice on any changes that could be made which would make a significant difference to the quality of the data when it is automated.
How does ibehave learn to recognise behaviors?
Ibehave uniquely combines proven computer vision and machine learning techniques to "learn" behaviors and then accurately identify these behaviors in an unlimited amount of future video footage.
How is ibehave different from other behavior recognition solutions?
Ibehave's unique 3 step learn, validate and identify method of behavior recognition ensures that it identifies behaviors as defined by scientists and not the software. Ibehave's techniques are patent-pending in all major geographies giving Actual the platform on which to build solutions which help researchers make the most of behavioral experiments.
How are Actual's solutions delivered?
Our software solutions can either be provided as a service where you send data to use and we return results, or as a piece of software which you run in-house. Our focus on design ensures that all Actual systems are easy and intuitive to use.
