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FRIENDS GUI: A graphical user interface for data collection and visualization of vaping behavior from a passive vaping monitor

Shehan I Pranto, Brett Fassler, Md Rafi Islam, Ashley Schenkel, Larry W Hawk, Edward Sazonov

TL;DR

The paper addresses the need for objective, high-resolution measurement of ENDS use by introducing FRIENDS GUI, a Python-based open-source interface that retrieves, decodes, and visualizes 24-hour puffing data collected by the FRIENDS device. The device combines an EM sensor, a touch sensor, and a thermistor to log puff and touch events with $64$-bit extended POSIX timestamps at $15\,\mu\text{s}$ resolution, enabling precise timestamping and event classification. The GUI processes raw binary logs, converts timestamps to human-readable times, and provides interactive 24-hour visualizations of puffing, touch, and temperature data, along with per-day summaries. Validation with controlled 24-hour experiments demonstrated accurate event detection and timestamp conversion, with only minor timing drift and effective filtering of false positives, supporting reliable data-driven vaping behavior research. The software is released under the MIT license on GitHub, promoting reproducibility and broad adoption in ENDS research and clinical contexts, and enabling easy adaptation to other ENNDS monitoring applications.

Abstract

Understanding puffing topography (PT), which includes puff duration, intra puff interval, and puff count per session, is critical for evaluating Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) use, toxicant exposure, and informing regulatory decisions. We developed FRIENDS (Flexible Robust Instrumentation of ENDS), an open-source device that records puffing and touch events of ENDS by attaching to it. This paper introduces the FRIENDS GUI that improves accessibility and interpretability of data collected by FRIENDS. The GUI is a Python-based open-source tool that extracts, decodes, and visualizes 24-hour puffing data from the FRIENDS device. Validation using 24-hour experimental data confirmed accurate timestamp conversion, reliable event decoding, and effective behavioral visualization. The software is freely available on GitHub for public use.

FRIENDS GUI: A graphical user interface for data collection and visualization of vaping behavior from a passive vaping monitor

TL;DR

The paper addresses the need for objective, high-resolution measurement of ENDS use by introducing FRIENDS GUI, a Python-based open-source interface that retrieves, decodes, and visualizes 24-hour puffing data collected by the FRIENDS device. The device combines an EM sensor, a touch sensor, and a thermistor to log puff and touch events with -bit extended POSIX timestamps at resolution, enabling precise timestamping and event classification. The GUI processes raw binary logs, converts timestamps to human-readable times, and provides interactive 24-hour visualizations of puffing, touch, and temperature data, along with per-day summaries. Validation with controlled 24-hour experiments demonstrated accurate event detection and timestamp conversion, with only minor timing drift and effective filtering of false positives, supporting reliable data-driven vaping behavior research. The software is released under the MIT license on GitHub, promoting reproducibility and broad adoption in ENDS research and clinical contexts, and enabling easy adaptation to other ENNDS monitoring applications.

Abstract

Understanding puffing topography (PT), which includes puff duration, intra puff interval, and puff count per session, is critical for evaluating Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) use, toxicant exposure, and informing regulatory decisions. We developed FRIENDS (Flexible Robust Instrumentation of ENDS), an open-source device that records puffing and touch events of ENDS by attaching to it. This paper introduces the FRIENDS GUI that improves accessibility and interpretability of data collected by FRIENDS. The GUI is a Python-based open-source tool that extracts, decodes, and visualizes 24-hour puffing data from the FRIENDS device. Validation using 24-hour experimental data confirmed accurate timestamp conversion, reliable event decoding, and effective behavioral visualization. The software is freely available on GitHub for public use.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 11 sections, 4 figures, 3 tables, 3 algorithms.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Implementation and architecture
  3. Quality control
  4. Availability
  5. Operating system
  6. Programming language
  7. Additional system requirements
  8. Dependencies
  9. Software location:
  10. Language
  11. Reuse potential

Figures (4)

  • Figure 1: FRIENDS system architecture: (a) Device placement on ENDS; (b) user interaction with sensors; (c) graphical interface; (d) extended POSIX timestamp file; (e) converted timestamp file; (f) extracted event data; (g) graph of collected data (High-confidence puffs involve both EM and touch detections)
  • Figure 2: The main window of the FRIENDS GUI
  • Figure 3: Flow Diagram of FRIENDS GUI
  • Figure 4: Graphical representation of puffing and touching events from the conducted experiment, recorded while the thermistor was turned off.