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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit | 2/2 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insight_Segmentation_and_Registration_Toolkit | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T10:11:55.021887+00:00 | kb-cron |
=== Copyright and license === ITK is copyrighted by the Insight Software Consortium, a non-profit alliance of organizations and individuals interested in supporting ITK. Starting with ITK version 3.6, the software is distributed under a BSD open-source license. It allows use for any purpose, with the possible exception of code found in the patented directory, and with proper recognition. The full terms of the copyright and the license are available at www.itk.org/ITK/project/license.html. Version 4.0 uses Apache 2.0 License. The licensed was changed to Apache 2.0 with version 4.0 to adopt a modern license with patent protection provisions. From version 3.6 to 3.20, a simplified BSD license was used. Versions of ITK previous to ITK 3.6 were distributed under a modified BSD License. The main motivation for adopting a BSD license starting with ITK 3.6, was to have an OSI-approved license.
== Technical Summary == The following sections summarize the technical features of the NLM's Insight ITK toolkit. Design Philosophy The following are key features of the toolkit design philosophy.
The toolkit provides data representation and algorithms for performing segmentation and registration. The focus is on medical applications; although the toolkit is capable of processing other data types. The toolkit provides data representations in general form for images (arbitrary dimension) and (unstructured) meshes. The toolkit does not address visualization or graphical user interface. These are left to other toolkits (such as VTK, VISPACK, 3DViewnix, MetaImage, etc.) The toolkit provides minimal tools for file interface. Again, this is left to other toolkits/libraries to provide. Multi-threaded (shared memory) parallel processing is supported. The development of the toolkit is based on principles of extreme programming. That is, design, implementation, and testing is performed in a rapid, iterative process. Testing forms the core of this process. In Insight, testing is performed continuously as files are checked in, and every night across multiple platforms and compilers. The ITK testing dashboard, where testing results are posted, is central to this process.
=== Architecture === The following are key features of the toolkit architecture.
The toolkit is organized around a data-flow architecture. That is, data is represented using data objects which are in turn processed by process objects (filters). Data objects and process objects are connected together into pipelines. Pipelines are capable of processing the data in pieces according to a user-specified memory limit set on the pipeline. Object factories are used to instantiate objects. Factories allow run-time extension of the system. A command/observer design pattern is used for event processing.
=== Implementation philosophy === The following are key features of the toolkit implementation philosophy.
The toolkit is implemented using generic programming principles. Such heavily templated C++ code challenges many compilers; hence development was carried out with the latest versions of the MSVC, Sun, gcc, Intel, and SGI compilers. The toolkit is cross-platform (Unix, Windows and Mac OS X). The toolkit supports multiple language bindings, including such languages as Tcl, Python, and Java. These bindings are generated automatically using an auto-wrap process. The memory model depends on "smart pointers" that maintain a reference count to objects. Smart pointers can be allocated on the stack, and when scope is exited, the smart pointers disappear and decrement their reference count to the object that they refer to.
=== Build environment === ITK uses the CMake (cross-platform make) build environment. CMake is an operating system and compiler independent build process that produces native build files appropriate to the OS and compiler that it is run with. On Unix CMake produces makefiles and on Windows CMake generates projects and workspaces.
=== Testing environment === ITK supports an extensive testing environment. The code is tested daily (and even continuously) on many hardware/operating system/compiler combinations and the results are posted daily on the ITK testing dashboard. We use Dart to manage the testing process, and to post the results to the dashboard.
=== Background references: C++ patterns and generics === ITK uses many advanced design patterns and generic programming. You may find these references useful in understanding the design and syntax of Insight.
Design Patterns. by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides, Grady Booch Generic Programming and the Stl : Using and Extending the C++ Standard Template Library (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series) by Matthew H. Austern Advanced C++ Programming Styles and Idioms by James O. Coplien C/C++ Users Journal C++ Report
== Examples ==
=== Gaussian-smoothed image gradient ===
=== Region growing segmentation ===
== Additional information ==
=== Resources === A number of resources are available to learn more about ITK.
The ITK web pages are located at www.itk.org. Users and developers alike should read the ITK Software Guide Many compilable examples are available on the ITK Examples Wiki Tutorials are available at www.itk.org/ITK/help/tutorials.html The software can be downloaded from www.itk.org/ITK/resources/software.html. Developers, or users interested in contributing code, should look in the document Insight/Documentation/InsightDeveloperStart.pdf or InsightDeveloperStart.doc found in the source code distribution. Developers should also look at the ITK style guide Insight/Documentation/Style.pdf found in the source distribution.
=== Applications === A great way to learn about ITK is to see how it is used. There are four places to find applications of ITK.
The Insight/Examples/ source code examples distributed with ITK. The source code is available. In addition, it is heavily commented and works in combination with the ITK Software Guide. The separate InsightApplications checkout. The Applications web pages. These are extensive descriptions, with images and references, of the examples found in #1 above. The testing directories distributed with ITK are simple, mainly undocumented examples of how to use the code. In 2004 ITK-SNAP (website) was developed from SNAP and became a popular free segmentation software using ITK and having a nice and simple user interface.
=== Data === Data is available in ITK data.kitware.com Girder Community. See also the ITK Data web page.
== See also ==
=== Related tools === CMake VTK
=== Contacts === Visit the ITK discussion forum for contacts and help from the community.
== References ==
== External links == ITK