Image Analysis System

Open standard data analysis tools facilitate image manipulation

An international consortium of US and EU research establishments and industries have developed open-source software and data format standards for storing and handling biological light microscopy data. The Open Microscopy Environment’s (OME) OMERO server offers free access to scientists from anywhere in the world for the remote management, viewing, annotation and measurement of 2D and 3D images as well as data analysis.

Adoption of open standards will eliminate the complicated data conversion process that has to be done every time scientists move from one operating system to another, giving them more time for image analysis. Researcher Mark Browne, PhD explains, “We believe customers should have access to data that belongs to them. It doesn't belong to the instrument manufacturer…I believe that for too long the industry relied on a closed source model.”

Some commercial software developers and instrument vendors are developing proprietary software packages that comply with OME’s open microscopy standards. Benefits of open standards go over and beyond transparency and free access; ongoing maintenance by OME will ensure that these standards remain relevant to market needs.

Best-in-Class Image Analysis System Providers:

• Ability to adjust brightness, contrast, hue and saturation, auto-contrast, crop, subtract, add border and detect edges
• Ability to upload images in the most popular formats: JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF and TIFF
• Ability to export output spreadsheet to Microsoft Excel

Top Considerations Before Selecting Image Analysis System Provider:

When selecting image analysis software, the choice has to be made between a system that is easy to use and a more complex one that is flexible and can be customized. If you are not an advanced user or do not have the time to learn the complicated protocol, starting with an out-of-the-box option would probably be the better choice. User frustration has a way of diminishing the usefulness of any product. Once you have mastered your new system and know its limitations, then moving on to a more feature-rich solution that you can customize would be a good next step.

Key Providers:

1. Clemex Technologies, Inc.’ s Clemex Captiva acquires, annotates and measures images and Clemex Vision Lite acquires, measure and analyzes images with pre-built imaging routines while Clemex Vision PE is a complete image analysis software package. Clemex R'Kive Explorer is an archiving package that secures the integrity of files, which allows users to drag and drop images, assign properties, or conduct extensive searches according to numerous parameters. This Quebec, Canada-based company was started in 1990 and provides image analysis software to the global market.

2. Applied Spectral Imaging's (ASI) Spectral Imaging System is a dual-mode system that includes both a direct imaging pass (for B/W imaging) as well as an Interferometer optical pass (for spectral imaging). SpectraCube® is the light-related platform technology. ASI owns many patents in the US, Europe and Japan that cover general use spectral imaging, image analysis, scanning techniques, spectroscopy in life science and medicine, and patents for specific applications. ASI, founded in 1993, is a privately held company with sales and customer support offices in North America and Europe and independent distributors around the world.

3. STAT Imaging Solutions LLC, an outsource imaging service, provides hardware, software and human resources from over 70 contracted facilities across the US. The company refers to imaging services as its "bread and butter." STAT specializes in scanning and indexing paper documents created from ancillary and disparate systems to the Electronic Medical Record (EMR). This company has experience with Kodak, Fujitsu, IBML, ScanOptics and other scan hardware systems.  STAT has its headquarters in Waupaca, WI and was incorporated in 2007.

4. Ohio Valley Imaging Solutions, Inc.'s (OVIS) 2020tc Single-Head Imager is a compact, lightweight, solid-state gamma camera that is designed to offer "maximum clinical versatility, convenience and flexibility" anywhere that nuclear medicine studies are being performed. Nuclear imaging equipment remanufacturing and reconditioning services are also offered including a complete disassembly, inspection and replacement of all worn or defective parts, including detector Nal crystals that carry a two-year warranty. Founded in 1997, OVIS is located in the Western Pennsylvania tri-state area.

Image Analysis System
Definition: The hardware and software that enables analysis of multi-dimensional images.