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Add optional device link to TimeSeries #662

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Add optional device link to TimeSeries #662

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be71382
Add optional device link to TimeSeries
rly Dec 11, 2025
2941bd5
Add link from TimeSeries to Device in release notes
rly Dec 11, 2025
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8 changes: 8 additions & 0 deletions core/nwb.base.yaml
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -249,6 +249,14 @@ groups:
stored external to the NWB file, in files storing raw data. Once timestamp
data is calculated, the contents of 'sync' are mostly for archival purposes.
quantity: '?'
links:
- name: device
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@h-mayorquin h-mayorquin Dec 12, 2025

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Suggested change
- name: device
- name: acquisition_device

Maybe this would make the expected use more clear?

target_type: Device
doc: Device used to record this time series. This should not be used to represent
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@h-mayorquin h-mayorquin Dec 12, 2025

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Suggested change
doc: Device used to record this time series. This should not be used to represent
doc: >
Teh device that directly acquired the samples stored in this TimeSeries.
This field captures data acquisition provenance only and must refer to the
device that digitized or otherwise recorded the signal.
When multiple hardware components are involved (e.g., probe → headstage →
acquisition system), this field must refer to the acquisition system itself,
i.e., the device that digitized the data, not upstream sensors or
hardware.
This field must not be used to encode causal, control, or stimulation
relationships. For example, it must not refer to devices that delivered
optogenetic or electrical stimulation, triggered task events, or generated
control signals. Such relationships should be represented elsewhere in the schema.

Two sugggestions:

  1. Clarify what happens in multi-device acquisition chains like in a typical ecephys setup where we have: probe/head-stage -> DAQ/acquisition box. I thinks this fit nicely there as we don't have a way of storing the DAQ (the probe/headstage can be encoded in the ElectrodeGroup device). The same or microscopy where the ImagingPlane captures the device but not the acquisition box that was used to acquire the data.

  2. More concrete examples of what should not be here.

What do you think?

a relationship between a stimulation time series and the device used for
stimulation; that relationship should be represented through other means in the
file.
quantity: '?'

- neurodata_type_def: ProcessingModule
neurodata_type_inc: NWBContainer
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1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions docs/format/source/format_release_notes.rst
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Expand Up @@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ Minor changes
that are typically used together for analysis, such as spike sorting. (#659)
- Specified that units for ``ElectrodesTable`` coordinate fields (``x``, ``y``, ``z``, ``rel_x``, ``rel_y``, ``rel_z``)
should be in microns. (#658)
- Added optional link from ``TimeSeries`` to ``Device`` to represent the device used to record the time series. (#662)


2.9.0 (June 26, 2025)
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