On a routine basis, microscopes may generate hundreds of digital images in a single day with image sizes ranging from a few kilobytes to several megabytes
Pacific Nanotechnology (PNI) announces Wims, a web based image management system for microscopists the world over.
There is an ever-increasing need for organising, storing and distributing microscope images.
On a routine basis, microscopes may generate hundreds of digital images in a single day.
Image sizes may range from a few kilobytes to several megabytes.
Creating a system that allows storage, searching and retrieving images across numerous locations presents a considerable challenge.
The Web Image Management System (Wims) offer a powerful solution, says the company.
With this software package, all of the information relating to images is stored in a relational database on a website.
The Wims software package resides on a website and has an address that may be reached with any computer having a web browser and internet access.
Images and information about them are uploaded to the website with a Wims transfer utility.
Once uploaded, the images and the information are displayed in database format.
Any user with access to the Wims database may access the images with a download transfer utility.
Two general types of application are addressed with Wims: archiving, and distribution of images.
For example, a PC will soon fill its hard drive and require back-up.
Then comes the challenge to retrieve images and share such data throughout an organisation to support all business functions from those in the laboratory to technical support and sales personnel at a customer location.
PNI says it uses Wims itself, to assist in the demonstration of its range of scanning probe microscopes to prospective customers worldwide.
It is also a valuable resource to its sales teams around the world who can share images from country to country, from application to application.
Commenting on Wims, PNI's Paul West says that it has readily automated the sharing of information throughout our users and sales people worldwide.
"It works 24/7 and thus does not require local manpower to service it.
"Potential users for Wims will be found in organisations that wish to share applications information rapidly and their microscopists that want to archive and retrieve images from large volumes of data".
