Pore3d

A SaaS for quantitative analysis of 3d images

 

 

How can I download the software?

Pore3D is delivered according to the software-as-a-service paradigm. There is no download and/or installation of the product. The product is delivered through the Internet via web browser.

 

What does software-as-a-service mean?

Roughly, the software-as-a-service paradigm means that users upload/download their files to/from a specific storage of the Elettra's computer network and they use Pore3D by means of a remote user interface via web browser. In this way, some functionalities of Pore3D take advantage of the Elettra's computer clusters allowing very fast processing and analysis. Although consulting may be offered to the users, the software-as-a-service paradigm does not mean that image processing and analysis are carried out by members of the Pore3D's staff.

 

Can I see a screenshot of the application?

What you get after authentication into the Pore3D SaaS is a Linux desktop environment. An instance of IDL with Pore3D features enabled can be then launched. The layout of a common work session can be seen here.

 

What kind of analysis can be performed with Pore3D?

Starting from a segmented ("black and white") volume of interest, the Minkowski functionals (volume density, specific surface area, integral of mean curvature and Euler characteristic) can be computed. A textural descriptor based on the fractal dimension can be also determined and the structural anisotropy of the pore or solid space can be assessed by means of the mean intercept length (MIL) method. The isotropy index and the elongation index are then used to summarize the results of the anisotropy analysis. All the aforementioned parameters don't require assumptions for the pore space. You just need to provide a good segmentation of your dataset and Pore3D can help you with several automatic thresholding methods (Otsu, Kittler, ...) as well as refined pre-segmentation smoothing filters (anisotropic diffusion, bilateral filter, ...). Moreover, if you are dealing with micro-CT data, Pore3D offers specific methods for the compensation of the so-called ring artifacts that usually complicate the segmentation process.

For more refined analysis, assumptions for the pore space are required. If you are dealing with a closed cell/pore space you can take advantage of the blob (connected component) tool of Pore3D. Each pore (blob) of the pore space is labeled and characterized in terms of volume, surface and shape factors. On the other hand, if you are dealing with an interconnected pore space you may find interesting one of the key features of Pore3D, i.e. the skeletonization tool. The curve-skeleton of the pore space can be extracted and the pore space can be then modeled as a network of nodes and branches. The number of nodes and branches is used for connectivity measures and by inflating the maximal spheres on each skeleton node and on each minimum along a skeleton branch, the distribution of pore and throat thickness can be assessed.

 

Is there a scientific publication describing the software and some applications?

The main reference to the Pore3D software as well as references to some applications are reported in the publications section of the site.