Requirements for storing electrophysiology data

TL;DR

This paper specifies essential data types for storing electrophysiology and optical imaging data to promote standardization and data sharing in neuroscience, recommending HDF5 as the storage format.

Contribution

It defines the basic data requirements for electrophysiology data storage and advocates for a standard based on HDF5, enhancing data sharing and interoperability.

Findings

Defines data types for electrophysiology data

Recommends HDF5 as the standard storage format

Supports data sharing in neuroscience

Abstract

The purpose of this document is to specify the basic data types required for storing electrophysiology and optical imaging data to facilitate computer-based neuroscience studies and data sharing. These requirements are being developed within a working group of the Electrophysiology Task Force in the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF) Program on Standards for Data Sharing. While this document describes the requirements of the standard independent of the actual storage technology, the Task Force has recommended basing a standard on HDF5. This is in line with a number of groups who are already using HDF5 to store electrophysiology data, although currently without being based on a standard.