Interactive Client-Server Transmission of Compressed Data with Prioritization by Scene Content

University of Arizona
posted on 02/08/2010

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Background:  As an image compression standard, JPEG2000 is highly scalable and supports the extension of two-dimensional (2D) algorithms to support volumes. For example, a three-dimensional (3D) reversible integer wavelet transform combined with EZW has been proposed to achieve lossless compression, while 3D-SPIHT has been employed elsewhere.

One of the requests of telemedicine is to enable remote visualization and browsing of medical volumes. Thus, there is a need to employ scalable compression schemes and efficient client-server models to obtain interactivity and an enhanced viewing experience. Embodiments of the present disclosure include schemes that use JPEG2000 and JPIP (JPEG2000 Interactive Protocol) to transmit data in a multi-resolution and progressive fashion. The server exploits the spatial locality offered by the wavelet transform and packet indexing information to transmit compressed volume data relevant to a client's particular query. Once the client identifies its volume of interest (VOI), the volume is refined progressively within the VOI from a lossy up to a final lossless representation. Contextual background information can also be provided with a quality fading away from the VOI.

A prioritization enables the client to progressively visualize scene content from a compressed file. In an exemplary embodiment, the client makes requests to progressively receive data corresponding to any particular tissue type. The server is now capable of re-ordering the same compressed data file on the fly to serve data packets prioritized as per the client's request.

As a result, the interactive user has the freedom to browse and render any sub-section of the volume at variable resolution with varying levels of visual quality, and is also able to visualize any arbitrary set of tissue types with enhanced quality. The resulting system embodiment is ideally suited for bandwidth-constrained systems having compressed volume data on a server that is to be browsed by a client.

Applications: 
* telemedicine

Researchers:  Michael Marcellin, Karthik Krishnan, Mariappan Nadar, Arun Krishnan

Status:  Issued Patent No. 7,324,695, co-owned with Siemens, Inc. and available for licensing.

Reference:  Refer to UA Case No. UA04-055