Toolkits and Software for Developing Biomedical Image Processing and Analysis Applications

Summary

Solutions in biomedical image processing and analysis usually consist of much more than a single method. Typically, a whole pipeline of algorithms is necessary, combined with visualization components to display and verify the results as well as possibilities to interact with the data. Therefore, successful research in biomedical image processing and analysis requires a solid base to start from. This is the case regardless whether the goal is the development of a new method (e.g., for segmentation) or to solve a specific task (e.g., computer-assisted planning of surgery).

This chapter gives an overview of toolkits and software that support the development of biomedical image processing and analysis applications. After the initial introduction, Sect. 21.2 outlines toolkits and libraries that provide sets of already implemented methods for image processing, visualization, and data management. Section 21.3 covers development environments that offer a specialized programming language or visual programming interface. Section 21.4 describes ready-to-use software applications allowing extensions by self-written code. All sections begin with open-source developments.