THE EVOLUTION OF THE BUGSYSTEM: 
RECENT PROGRESS IN THE ANALYSIS OF 
BIO-BEHAVIORAL DATA 
Robert S. Wilson 
Department of Biology 
Yale University 
New Haven, Conn. 06520 
John O. B. Greaves 
Electrical Engineering Department 
Southeastern Massachusetts University 
North Dartmouth, Mass. 02747 
ABSTRACT 
Experimental investigation of the movements of organisms often entails the 
acquisition and processing of large samples of spatio-temporal data. An 
interactive, interpretive, on-line computer-television system (viz., the 
Bugsystem) was developed in order to expedite such analyses. Aspects of the 
structure of this prototype system are outlined. Its effectiveness is evaluated 
with regard to the problems confronting the bio-behavioral researcher. 
A second generation system has been developed under a research grant from 
the Environmental Protection Agency. Utilizing new hardware and software, it 
in many ways constitutes a generalization of its prototype. We describe 
features of the refined system which provide for the following: a large degree 
of machine-independence significant expansion of the size of data records, 
inclusion of experimental parameters and variables within the data structure, 
investigation of rotational and flectional movement, statistical analysis, and 
tracking of organisms in three dimensional space. Current utilization of the 
Bugsystem for research in behavioral physiology and the potential for future 
development are discussed. 
INTRODUCTION 
The fundamental focus of behavioral research is the description and 
explication of what individual organisms do. Because those biological activities 
most often classified as “behavior” consist largely (although not exclusively) of 
the movements of organisms, quantitative investigation of behavior is often 
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