Data Collection Procedure.

The sequence of events per run:

1. User at the master computer: pick a stimulus, pick or set stimulus parameters, pick or set DAQ parameters, hit "Start" button.
2. Master computer: connect to the main database, check for active electrodes, add a new record to the datafile table. Link datafile to the electrode location using the info on active electrodes.
3. Master computer: send the DAQ settings and the command to the DAQ server to start data acquisition.
4. DAQ server: start data acquisition.
5. Master computer: wait for about 1 sec to make sure the recording starts before the video presentation.
6. Master computer: add a new record to the stimulus table. Set the stimulus parameters on the video server and send the command to the video server to start the display. Poll the state of the video server waiting for the stimulus to finish.
7. Video server: calculate the stimulus image (if needed) and start displaying. When done with the presentation, reset the busy flag, indicating that the presentation is over.
8. Master computer: when the current presentation   is over,  check if there are more presentations in the current run. If so, repeat steps 6-8.
9. When the run is over send the command to the DAQ server to stop DAQ. Inform the user that the run is over.

Now we have:

1. On the DAQ server: a datafile written to the disk. The file contains electrode voltage traces and the video synchro signal.
2. In the main database:
   • a record in the datafile table containing the filename, DAQ parameters, stimulus type, etc.
   • N_e records in the link table linking the file to the electrode locations. N_e - is the number of active electrodes during the run.
   • N_p records in the stimulus table (each stimulus type is using its own table) containing the stimulus parameters and the timestamp. N_p - number of presentations in the run.

The terms:

• presentation - one video stimulus presentation.
• run - a sequence of presentations recorded in the same file.