RCC has deployed a new feature on its XNAT advanced imaging platform to make it easier for researchers to use their data with the latest research software and integrated analysis pipelines.
The new Australian Imaging Service (AIS) capability allows researchers to launch Jupyter Notebooks and the Neurodesk platform directly from their project on the UQ AIS XNAT platform, with access to their imaging data.
RCC Senior Principal Software Engineer/Developer Dr Mark Endrei said: “The Neurodesk Notebook provides researchers with a virtual desktop and an extensive suite of biomedical imaging tools with support for GPU acceleration.”
Aswin Narayanan, National Imaging Facility (NIF) Senior Imaging Informatics Fellow at UQ, said: “This integration brings UQ’s large repository of imaging data backed by XNAT and UQ Research Data Manager (UQRDM) together with hundreds of analysis tools and software into a single environment, removing the need to install software and transfer data.
RCC is keen to hear from UQ XNAT users interested in piloting this new feature (please email: rcc-support@uq.edu.au).
UQ AIS XNAT is for storing, managing and analysing de-identified imaging data for UQ research projects and collaborations. Researchers acquiring data at UQ’s Herston Imaging Research Facility (HIRF) and Centre for Advanced Imaging (CAI) human imaging facilities have their data automatically pushed to XNAT, giving them immediate access to this new feature. Support for other UQ advanced imaging facilities is expected over the coming year.
Neurodesk is a UQ-led platform developed in partnership with the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), NIF and the Wellcome Trust through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Essential Open Source Software for Science program. NIF and ARDC are National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) capabilities.
Neurodesk provides a flexible, scalable and easy-to-use biomedical data analysis environment for thousands of researchers worldwide.
JupyterHub and Neurodesk are being introduced to UQ AIS XNAT as part of the interactive analysis stream of NIF’s Foundational Digital Research Infrastructure Project, which aims to uplift data and analysis infrastructure across the NIF network.
What Is XNAT?
XNAT is an open-source imaging informatics platform originally developed by the Neuroinformatics Research Group when it was part of the Buckner Lab at Washington University. The Buckner Lab is now located at Harvard University.
XNAT facilitates common management, productivity and quality assurance tasks for imaging and associated data.
Due to its extensibility, XNAT can be used to support a wide range of imaging-based projects.
What is AIS?
The Australian Imaging Service (AIS), is a national platform for secure imaging (predominately for clinical, preclinical, veterinary, and archaeological data) management, analysis, informatics, and machine learning, led by the University of Sydney in partnership and with co-investment from ARDC, NIF and 10 other universities and research organisations, including UQ.
AIS’s mission is to increase research reproducibility and drive the adoption of innovative but trusted analysis techniques.
AIS aims to create a unified service underpinning all imaging research conducted by Australians, both nationally and abroad, on which more specific research and development programs can be built.
