> but even still, that adds only another layer of testing to ensure that your techniques for converting the raw data to structured data are sound enough to be reproduced.

That's actually not correct. What if your validation method is broken? What if that unit test you wrote has a bug in the test itself?

In science you have to keep the raw data available.

This is not only for reproduction of your particular structured metric (i.e. tail flick angle), but for other groups to design novel metrics that may add to or trivialize the published result.