Implementation of atlas-matching capabilities using “web services” technology: Lessons learned from the development of a demonstrator

In this paper, we propose an approach for sharing data processing functions such as image to atlas registration and matching, based on platform-independent interfaces called “web services”. A prototype implementing this concept is described, enabling a user to match image data, e.g. MRI, to the Talairach atlas, as well as to 3D-data atlases such as the Statistical Probability Anatomy Maps (SPAM) datasets developed by the Montréal Neurological Institute (MNI). We emphasize architectural issues rather than functional aspects, which we consider classical.