OpenSlide
OpenSlide Java version 0.7.1, 2009-11-19
Version 0.7.1 of the Java bindings fixes some bugs when writing JPEG thumbnails with ImageIO.
OpenSlide version 2.2.1, 2009-10-23
Version 2.2.1 has been released, fixing thread safety problems in 2.2.0 (not quite lockless anymore).
OpenSlide Java version 0.7.0, 2009-09-15
Version 0.7.0 of the Java bindings enables support for lockless concurrent access.
OpenSlide version 2.2.0, 2009-09-15
Version 2.2 has been released, adding thread safety (lockless with Hamamatsu and MIRAX files).
OpenSlide Java version 0.6.1, 2009-08-25
Version 0.6.1 of the Java bindings adds executable jar support for the demo GUI.
OpenSlide version 2.1.0, 2009-08-18
Version 2.1 has been released, adding support for MIRAX mrxs.
OpenSlide Java version 0.6.0, 2009-08-17
Version 0.6 of the Java bindings now shows properties in the demo GUI.
OpenSlide version 2.0.0, 2009-07-16
Version 2.0 has been released, adding support for image metadata and an Aperio variant.
OpenSlide Java version 0.5.0, 2009-07-15
Version 0.5.0 of the Java bindings adds metadata support and bug fixes.
OpenSlide is a C library that provides a simple interface to read whole-slide images. The current version is 2.2.1, released 2009-10-23.
About OpenSlide
The library can read virtual slides in the following formats:
- Trestle (.tif)
- Hamamatsu (.vms)
- Aperio (.svs, .tif)
- MIRAX (.mrxs)
It provides a simple C interface for programmers to use to decode images of these kinds.
Tech Report
The architecture and design of the library is described in a technical report:
A Vendor-Neutral Library and Viewer for Whole-Slide Images
Adam Goode, M. Satyanarayanan
Technical Report CMU-CS-08-136, June 2008
Computer Science Department, Carnegie Mellon University
Abstract
PDF
About whole-slide images
Whole-slide images, also known as virtual slides, are large, high resolution images used in digital pathology. Reading these images using standard image tools or libraries is a challenge because these tools are typically designed for images that can comfortably be uncompressed into RAM or a swap file. Whole-slide images routinely exceed RAM sizes, often occupying tens of gigabytes when uncompressed. Additionally, whole-slide images are typically multi-resolution, and only a small amount of image data might be needed at a particular resolution.
There is no universal data format for whole-slide images, so each vendor implements its own formats, libraries, and viewers. Vendors typically do not document their formats. Even when there is documentation, important details are omitted. Because a vendor’s library or viewer is the only way to view a particular whole-slide image, doctors and researchers can be unnecessarily tied to a particular vendor. Finally, few (if any) vendors provide libraries and viewers for non-Windows platforms. Some have gone with a server approach, pushing tiles through a web server, or using Java applets, but these approaches have shortcomings in high-latency or non-networked environments.
Acknowledgements
OpenSlide has been supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Pittsburgh.
