Q+A CENTER

Imaging software is playing a more integral part of the electronic-imaging process and as the technology matures, its upgrades help keep up with the times. Some applications include:

• Biotechnology and Life Sciences — scientists and researchers use software to detect reagents and green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) when performing cell biology or live cell imaging applications.
• Medical and Scientific Imaging — doctors and surgeons use software to clarify images when performing CT, PET and MRI scans, as well as diagnosing patients with breast cancer, aortic aneurysms and broken bones.
• Machine Vision — the software cleans up the images taken from assembly line cameras so workers can determine if a label or cap on a bottle is properly aligned. It is also used for pick-and-place and packaging applications.
• Military Imaging — software gives soldiers out in the field a clearer picture, which helps in force-tracking applications. The image data is compiled from various sources such as satellites, UAVs and fighter jets, and then combined; the software extracts the artifacts and gives the soldier a suitable image and help to create a plan of attack.
• Remote Sensing — with satellites downloading terabytes of data to a local research area, software again processes the image for a clearer picture in determining factors such as hurricane strength or “hot spots” in forest fires. This was evident during Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, and the recent brush fires in California.

Keep on Running

Able Software’s (Lexington, MA) 3D-DOCTOR provides tools for doctors and medical researchers to create 3-D polygonal mesh models from CT (computed tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), microscopy or other volumetric images. Users of the software can create 3-D models for rapid prototyping, visualization, simulation, 3-D volume calculation and measurement applications. It supports both color and grayscale images in a number of formats: DICOM, Interfile, TIFF, BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG and RAW data. It provides fully automated and semi-automatic image segmentation for extracting different features, and other 3-D image processing functions such as registration, fusion, automated slice alignment, 3-D reconstruction and reslicing. www.ablesw.com; www.3d-doctor.com.

ImageGear Professional Edition from AccuSoft Corp. (Northborough, MA) supports more than 1,500 imaging functions, full multi-threading and Internet integration. It includes full PDF editing, OCR, ICR, OMR, image analysis and correction, along with manipulation of computer-generated and scanned images, special effects, file format conversion, image enhancement and GUI functions. Version 14.5 includes support for RAW files used in more than 70 different cameras from 12 manufacturers as well as the Adobe DNG and TIFF/EP formats. www.accusoft.com.

Image Central v3.3 from Advanced Imaging Concepts Inc. (Princeton, NJ) is a user-definable image database software package that was designed to handle digital image management and archiving in the laboratory. Database searches are accomplished in either basic or advanced modes. An Audit Trail module is available. The Imaging Link provides for a connection to other applications. Single-user to enterprise systems are integrated with existing equipment. www.aic-image-central.com.