Synergetic impact obtained by a distributed development platform for Image Retrieval in Medical Applications (IRMA)

Image retrieval in medical applications (IRMA) requires the cooperation of experts in the field of medicine, image analysis, feature analysis and systems engineering. A distributed developing platform was implemented to support the progress of the IRMA-system. As the concept for this system strictly separates the steps for medical image retrieval, its components can be developed separately by work groups in different departments. The development platform provides location and access transparency for its resources. These resources are images and extracted features as well as methods which all are distributed automatically between the work groups. Replications are created to avoid repeated network transfers. All resources are administered in one central database. Computationally expensive feature extraction tasks are distributed also automatically to be processed on concurring workstations of different work groups. The developing platform intensifies and simplifies the cooperation of the interdisciplinary IRMA-development-team by providing fast and automated deliveries of components from software developers to physicians for evaluation