PRISM Studio

Principled Research Information & Sidecar Model

PRISM pairs every research data file with a JSON sidecar that explains it — item wordings, response options, units, scoring — organized by subject, session, and modality. Modalities, file-naming rules, and sidecar contracts are JSON schemas, so the model extends to new instruments without code changes, while staying compatible with standard BIDS tooling. PRISM currently ships modalities and templates for psychological research (surveys, biometrics). PRISM Studio is the local web and CLI tool that applies the model to validation, conversion, and dataset management.

Full documentation, including a complete install and usage guide, is on ReadTheDocs. This README covers the essentials to get running.

Core Features

• Dataset validation and conversion
• PRISM Studio web interface, plus CLI workflows for terminal users
• Survey and biometrics metadata support
• Local-first operation (data stays on your machine; the only exception is optional, off-by-default environment enrichment, which sends coordinates and dates — never participant data — to a public weather service)

Feature Scope

See ROADMAP.md for the reasoning behind each scope decision.

The Austrian NeuroCloud (ANC) (CoreTrustSeal-certified) officially accepts PRISM-formatted datasets alongside plain BIDS — see the data format requirements.

Installation

Python 3.10, 3.11, or 3.12 is required for source installation (3.9 and older lack required features; 3.13+ has no wheels yet for some pinned scientific dependencies). install.sh checks this automatically and, if your default python3 is outside that range, uses uv to find or install a compatible version for you — no manual Python install needed.

Pre-built binaries (recommended for most users)

Download the latest release for your platform from the Releases page.

macOS: if Gatekeeper blocks the first launch, run Prism Studio Installer.app from the extracted folder (fallback: Open Prism Studio.command).

From source

bash install.sh          # macOS/Linux
install.cmd               # Windows — double-click, or run from any shell

Both create a virtual environment, install dependencies, and add a PRISM Studio desktop shortcut. See the installation guide for Windows execution-policy notes and other platform-specific details.

Quick Usage

After setup, activate the virtual environment (source .venv/bin/activate) and run:

python prism-studio.py                    # Studio web app -> http://127.0.0.1:5001
python prism-validator /path/to/dataset   # Validator (CLI)
python prism_tools.py --help              # Other tools (CLI)

Use a Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave) for Studio — Safari can be noticeably slower for local apps like this, especially with iCloud Private Relay enabled.

A slim Docker image with just the validation engine is also published on every release (ghcr.io/mri-lab-graz/prism-validator), with a matching GitHub Action — see the documentation for both.

Documentation

Full documentation is on ReadTheDocs.

Report an Issue

Use the Issues tab to report bugs or request features: https://github.com/MRI-Lab-Graz/prism-studio/issues

Include these details so we can reproduce quickly:

• Your OS and Python version
• The exact command you ran
• The full error message or screenshot
• A small dataset example (if possible)

Citation

If you use PRISM, please cite it — see CITATION.cff for metadata, or use the DOI directly: 10.5281/zenodo.22809100 (always resolves to the latest release). A companion paper has been submitted to JOSS; see paper/paper.md in the meantime.

License

See LICENSE (AGPL-3.0) for the software.

The bundled instrument library is content, not code, and AGPL-3.0 does not apply to it. Survey templates under official/library/survey/ carry their own per-instrument terms in each template's Study.License field. See official/library/NOTICE.md for provenance, citation requirements, and what you must check before using an instrument.