On-Demand Metadata Extraction for Clinical Image Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Clinical Image Archiving tools typically store only a subset of metadata fields for large clinical image data files, leading to inefficiencies in storage and data transmission, and lack the ability to perform operations like searching and browsing based on full metadata sets.
Innovation Solution
A system that provides on-demand updating and re-indexing of metadata for clinical image data files, allowing extraction and inclusion of additional metadata fields, defined in a configurable schema, to enhance search and browsing capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If only a subset of metadata fields is stored for large clinical image data files, then storage space and data transmission are reduced, but search and browsing capabilities are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides metadata into two parts: a subset of fields stored with the image data for efficient storage and transmission, and a full metadata set maintained separately for comprehensive search capabilities. This segmentation allows the system to optimize for both storage efficiency and search functionality by storing only essential metadata in the image file while maintaining access to complete metadata through the database.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a database as an intermediary between the image data and the full metadata. The database stores complete metadata records and provides search functionality, while the image files contain only a subset of metadata for efficient storage. This intermediary structure resolves the contradiction by decoupling the storage requirements from the search requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If full metadata sets are stored with clinical image data files, then search and browsing capabilities are enhanced, but storage space and data transmission requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments metadata storage by keeping only essential metadata fields within the image data files themselves, while maintaining a separate database for comprehensive metadata. This segmentation enables the system to store full metadata for search capabilities without burdening the image file storage with redundant data, thus optimizing storage space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the full metadata set in a database, separate from the image files. This copy allows the system to provide comprehensive search and browsing capabilities using the complete metadata, while the original image files maintain only the minimal necessary metadata for efficient storage and transmission.
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional metadata fields are extracted and indexed on-demand, then search and browsing operations can be performed on fully indexed metadata, but processing time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-extracting and storing complete metadata records in a database before they are needed for search operations. This pre-processing eliminates the need to extract and index metadata on-demand during search queries, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining comprehensive search capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-processes metadata extraction and storage in advance, creating a ready-to-query database of complete metadata records. This preliminary action ensures that when search operations are performed, the full metadata is already indexed and available for immediate retrieval, avoiding time-consuming real-time processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for providing on-demand updating of metadata information associated with clinical image data files is disclosed. The system allows for extracting, on the fly, additional metadata fields from clinical image data files and re-indexing the metadata to include the additional fields so that an end-user can perform operations (e.g., searching, browsing, etc.) based on the newly indexed fields. The metadata fields may be defined in a configurable schema file (e.g., XML, YML, etc.). The system can gain efficiencies by, for example, reading only a subset of the DICOM file (e.g., reading only the first few kilobytes that contain the header), scanning only a subset of source data folders, etc.