TeraPro: Tera-Scale Image Processing

Advanced image processing in the life sciences today has to be done on software adapted, if not developed by the researcher-users themselves. Among the shortcomings of current off-the-shelf technology is the limitation to main memory image sizes while imagery more and more exceeds this order of magnitude. Further, the complexity of algorithm development requires highly trained IT experts for maintenance and adaptation of operational systems, and generally is error prone; regularly trained lab users usually cannot accomplish this. Array databases enable scalable processing and filtering on multi-dimensional images; however, their interfaces are not what researcher-users expect.

In TeraPro, therefore, an imaging system (proStack) is coupled as a front-end to an array database (rasdaman) to combine the best of both worlds. Image processing workflows are analyzed, and where feasible components are pushed down to the database by creating appropriate queries on the fly.

Sponsor: BMBF

Partners:

• Jacobs University (coordinator)
• rasdaman GmbH, Germany
• proStack LLC, Russia

Online demo

There are two first demos available, Visible Human slicing (Jacobs University, see below) and Urchin (proStack; user: Uguest, password: Upass).