Multiprocesor
and Grid technology
employment in
medical image processing[1]
Kornél Ecsedi, Zoltán Gál
{ecsedi, zgal}@cis.unideb.hu
Service Center for
Informatics of the University of Debrecen
Miklós Emri,
emri@pet.dote.hu
PET Center of the University
of Debrecen
József Molnár, jmolnar@atomki.hu
Institute of Nuclear
Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Attila Farkas,
a.farkas@mediso.hu
Mediso Kft.
Abstract
The aim of this project is
to create high efficiency tomography devices and image manipulation programs
for medical image processing using multiprocessor technology. We created a
consortium for this purpose that consists of university and academy
institutions and a company dealing with hardware and software development in
the field of medical image processing.
Our industry partner needs
new technologies to realise its mid-term strategy. This need perfectly matches
the research at our laboratories, and this is the ground for a real consortial
co-operation. Experiences gathered during the project will be realised in three
levels: the industry partner can widen
the palette of its products toward more efficient data collecting
facilities and image processing tools; research centres can increase the possibility of successful
tenders; and the education of this
technology will also benefit from this. The two latter results indirectly
strengthen the company's market position through the adaptation of new
achievements in the field and the application of young researchers.
Two clusters built at the
two university partners will serve as the infrastructural background for the
research and development. The installation inside the academy network makes it
possible to start basic research projects parallel with applied research on the
clusters. In this way it will be possible to inspect the applicability of
metacluster and GRID technology in the field of medical image processing. At
present, this slightly goes beyond routine diagnostics, but it can be an
extremely promising field for medical applied and basic research (e.g. medicine
effect or brain research).
The first task in the
project is obtaining, building and testing the two clusters. Following this
three parallel research and development projects will start: parallel
processing of high speed digital signals coming from tomography detector
systems, adapting 3D image reconstruction and correction algorithms for
multiprocessor environment, and the development of a real-time, interactive 3D
graphical diagnostic test program. In case of satisfactory speed parameters the
latter can soon be integrated into the company's tomography diagnostics
software products. The data collecting and reconstruction developments will
serve as a basis for creating a new family of products.
Continuous development of
created systems can be assured after project closing as the continuation of
basic research with the help of Ph.D. and university students, which - together
with the achievements - makes it possible for the knowledge and technology
centres to co-operate further.