Observation Instruments
Build criteria and categories, code behaviour against video frame by frame, and keep several observers on the same register.
Open source · v4.1.0 · macOS, Windows and Linux
Systematic Observation For Sports And Health Research.
LINCE PLUS Desktop is a free application for behavioural video analysis. Build observation instruments, code video frame by frame, run AI pose analysis with joint angles and a 3D viewer, detect temporal patterns, sync sensor data and analyse everything in a built-in Python notebook.
- Free, no licence required
- Cited in Behavior Research Methods and Apunts
- Exports to Theme, GSEQ, Hoisan and Excel
Several observers code the same session while video, register and sensor streams stay synchronised on one timeline. Agreement and patterns are computed right there.
LINCE PLUS ships its own video player, with plugins and a model detector built in.
- Synchronised multi-video playback
- Frame-by-frame stepping and speed control
- Drawing and annotation tools
- Pose estimation with selectable models (MoveNet, TensorFlow)
- Joint angle panel with confidence scores
- 3D pose view with rotation and scale
- Angle charts and snapshots
- Video, drawing and pose modes, picture-in-picture and fullscreen
Run Jupyter notebooks inside LINCE PLUS Desktop. Your observation data is preloaded as a DataFrame, with pandas, numpy, matplotlib and scipy ready to use and one-click templates to start from.
Jupyterpandasnumpymatplotlibscipy
terminal
# OpenAPI description of the running desktop app
curl http://localhost:<port>/api-docs
# Python, R, MATLAB, a spreadsheet: any HTTP client
import requests
lince = "http://localhost:<port>"
spec = requests.get(f"{lince}/api-docs").json()
kappa = requests.get(
f"{lince}/register/kappa/{obs_a}/{obs_b}"
).json()Everything the desktop app does is behind a local REST API with an OpenAPI description. Connect from any tool or language: R, Python, MATLAB, a spreadsheet or your own scripts.
- OpenAPI spec and Swagger UI on the local server
- Read projects, registers and video data as JSON
- Agreement on demand: kappa, Krippendorff, percentage
- Import, export and file streaming endpoints
Latest release
v4.1.0 · 19 Sept 2026
A redesigned analysis dashboard with the T-Pattern Explorer, a predictive assistant while coding, and a quantitative view that synchronises sensor data with the video timeline.
- New T-Pattern Explorer detects repeating temporal patterns in coded observations, with configurable minimum occurrences, significance level and time granularity.
- T-Pattern results show pattern length, level and occurrence counts; clicking an occurrence jumps the video to that exact moment.
- New predictive assistant suggests the next likely events with expected timing and a confidence score while coding.
Download
Installers bundle their own Java runtime. Nothing else to install.
Features
Everything A Behavioural Study Needs.
Observation, video coding, agreement, pattern detection and analysis in one desktop application, interoperable with the tools the research community already uses.
AI Pose Analysis
Pose estimation on the video player, joint angle estimation with confidence scores, and a 3D pose viewer, with angles exportable for biomechanical analysis.
T-Patterns And Prediction
Detect repeating temporal patterns and jump to every occurrence in the video. While coding, a predictive assistant suggests the next likely events with a confidence score.
Sensor Sync
Overlay heart rate, accelerometer and gyroscope streams on the video timeline with a single synchronised playhead.
Python Research Notebook
An in-app notebook with pandas, numpy, matplotlib and scipy, with your observation data preloaded as a DataFrame.
Agreement And Exports
Inter-observer agreement with kappa indices, PDF reports, and exports to Theme 5/6, GSEQ, Hoisan and Excel.
Install
Up And Running In Five Minutes.
Every installer ships with its own Java runtime. The builds are not notarised or code-signed, so the operating system may ask you to confirm the first launch.
macOS
- Download the
.dmgfor your chip and drag LINCE PLUS to Applications. - On first launch macOS may block the app. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway.
Windows
- Download and run the
.exeinstaller. - If SmartScreen appears, choose More info → Run anyway.
- Follow the wizard. Windows 10 or later, x64.
Linux
- Download the
.shinstaller and make it executable. - Run it. The default install path is
/opt/lince-plus, with menu and desktop shortcuts.
chmod +x lince-plus_unix_4_1_0_linux-x64.sh
./lince-plus_unix_4_1_0_linux-x64.shLearn
Guides, Videos And Workshops.
YouTube Channel
Walkthroughs of the interface, from creating an instrument to exporting results.
More Examples And Tutorials Are On The Way.
We are building new examples, tutorials and workshop material for LINCE PLUS Desktop. We need help to get there faster: if you teach, research or write documentation, reach out and collaborate.
LINCE PLUS is validated software, published and cited in peer-reviewed research.See the publications
Research
Cite LINCE PLUS In Your Work.
LINCE PLUS is developed through doctoral research with INEFC Catalunya. If it supports a study, please cite the most relevant paper.
- 2026
Towards predictive analysis of behavior and sports using LINCE PLUS 4 software
doi:10.5672/apunts.2014-0983.es.2026.164.09 - 2022
LINCE PLUS Software for Systematic Observation Studies of Sports and Health
doi:10.3758/s13428-021-01642-1 - 2019
LINCE PLUS: Research Software for Behaviour Video Analysis
doi:10.5672/apunts.2014-0983.es.(2019/3).137.11
In Memory
Free, As A Tribute To Dr. Anguera.
LINCE PLUS Desktop is free, and will always be, as a tribute to Dr. María Teresa Anguera Argilaga (1949-2025), Professor Emeritus of Methodology of Behavioural Sciences at the Universitat de Barcelona. A pioneer of observational methodology and mixed-methods research, she shaped the design taxonomy behind systematic behavioural observation and co-authored the papers that validate this software.
Her legacy lives on in every observation LINCE PLUS makes possible.
The desktop application is free and open source, and it will remain so.
Alongside it, LINCE PLUS Pro offers cloud services for professional users. Subscribing supports the project and funds new features that reach everyone, including the free desktop application.
Built with the support of
Open-source licences provided by JetBrains and ej-technologies.