Distributed Medical Image Metadata Replication for Satellite Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical image data storage systems in distributed clinical facilities face challenges in providing satellite-spanning access with high availability and low network utilization, leading to inefficient data administration and high costs due to the limitations of 'local view' systems like the SIENET Magic Store System, which struggle to offer a comprehensive overview of image data across multiple satellites.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the acquisition, local storage, and central replication of medical image data with metadata, where partial metadata are marked and replicated across satellites, allowing for decentralized access and storage, while maintaining complete metadata in a central database for robustness and efficient data retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If an administration layer is employed to enable access spanning all satellites, then a global view of image data is achieved, but high administration expenditure is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the metadata into two categories: complete metadata stored centrally in the central database, and partial metadata stored locally in local databases at each satellite. This segmentation allows each satellite to have a global view through partial metadata while the central database maintains complete information, reducing the complexity of centralized administration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to metadata storage by creating multiple levels: complete metadata at the central level and partial metadata at the local level. This dimensional approach allows satellites to access global information locally without requiring complex centralized administration for every access operation.
2Loss of information
If all metadata are stored centrally in a central database, then a complete overview is provided, but access times increase due to network dependencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-storing partial metadata locally at each satellite before it is needed for access. This allows satellites to quickly access commonly used metadata information locally without requiring network communication, while complete metadata remains centrally stored for comprehensive overviews.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different metadata completeness levels at different locations: partial metadata is stored locally at satellites for quick access to frequently needed information, while complete metadata is stored centrally for comprehensive data access. This resolves the contradiction by optimizing for both speed and completeness in different contexts.
3Loss of time
If complete metadata are replicated to all satellites, then access times are improved, but network utilization increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by replicating only partial metadata (not complete metadata) to local databases at satellites. This partial replication provides sufficient information for most access operations, improving access times while avoiding the high network utilization costs of complete metadata replication across all satellites.
4Quantity of substance
If local databases store only local image data, then storage requirements are reduced, but satellite-spanning access becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes local databases multi-functional by enabling them to store both local image data and partial metadata about remote image data. This allows local databases to serve dual purposes: managing local resources and providing global access information, thereby enabling satellite-spanning access without significantly increasing storage requirements at each satellite.
Data Source
AI summary
In a method for storing and providing medical image data in a distributed, computer-based system of a clinical facility comprising multiple satellites, wherein a satellite has at least one modality, an image administration server and at least one local database, and wherein the clinical facility also has a central database for the administration of the stored image data and a central long-term storage for long-term storage, the image data are acquired at the modality, the image data include metadata and pixel data, partial metadata in the metadata of the acquired image data are marked, at least the metadata of the image data acquired are locally stored at the respective satellites, the image data of the image data acquired at the respective satellites are centrally stored in the central long-term storage, all metadata stored in the local database in the central database are completely, centrally replicated, and the marked partial metadata of the image data from the central database are partially, automatically replicated at respective local databases of one, multiple or all satellites in order to be able to provide these image data at the satellites.