VisualStrata™ Service Platform – Why image collaboration?
Professionals that interpret or “read” images as part of their job require a solution that fulfills their need for real-time sharing of images and communicating among geographically distant team members. These users require the ability to track the incremental accumulation of materials—images (photo-documentation), text and the ongoing communication—from initial review through to final evaluation. Providing an accurate and timely image review requires at least one communication event between two or more experts with the ability to share the information or evidence consisting of images (photo-documentation) associated with a text record.
Currently, images are stored in "silos” separate from related text data and inaccessible for sharing or collaboration. Moreover, a given business may have multiple unlinked, inaccessible image silos and unlinked text records for a given image. Solutions for combining the images and text records into a single and accessible view from the stored information do not exist.
The VisualShare product VisualStrata™ consolidates images and text records into a single point of access. Through this single point of access two or more experts can access, in real-time, an image series, and relevant text information and conduct a live visual collaboration. The live multi-user collaboration includes synchronized image viewing, zooming and panning in addition to layered visual annotations on the image. The ability to rapidly bring experts together in real-time accelerates decision making thereby increasing productivity and reducing costs. Figure 1 shows the real-time, web-based VisualStrata™ image collaboration interface.
Figure 1:VisualStrata™::Communicator Interface.
Products
The VisualStrata™ service (SaaS—no installed software) platform is composed of 3 products:
- VisualStrata™::Portal (Image Management Server)
- VisualStrata™::Communicator
- VisualStrata™::Server
VisualStrata™::Portal
The image management server is a Web 2.0 application that provides an environment for creation of users, workgroups and virtual collaboration rooms. A collaboration room is composed of images and text data. Figure 2 shows a screen capture of the image and data management application.
Figure 2:VisualStrata™::Portal interface.
Feature Benefits:
- Role Based Access Control
- Drag-n-Drop Image Upload
- Image Processing
- Image Management
- Consolidated View: Images + Data
- Fast Image Viewing
- Image Meta-Data Management
- Secure Web-based Access
- Custom Workflow
- Web-based Administration
- Reporting
Value:
- Improve productivity by utilizing a single image source.
- Eliminate wasted effort by providing essential text data with images.
- Accelerate decision making.
- Leverage existing knowledge.
- Streamline processes.
- Eliminate shipping and printing costs.
- Reduce unnecessary travel.
- No IT costs; no software installation.
VisualStrata™::Communicator
The collaboration client is similar to an instant messaging (IM) client where the presence of logged in users is made available to other users for real-time communication. The VisualStrata™ client (working in conjunction with the VisualStrata™ server) goes far beyond text messaging by including images, related text information in a visual collaboration virtual “room” designed specifically for the imaging professional (See figure 1). Users present in a collaboration room can choose images from a series, zoom, pan and draw on the image as well as discuss each image using typical text messaging (audio conferencing is coming soon). All actions are synchronized between users so that everyone is viewing the same content. The technology used for visually annotating images is VisualShare’s patent pending software method and system. Messaging and synchronizing the visual messages between all users is based on several XML technologies. Figure 3 illustrates the process of visual messaging to all users.
Figure 3:Diagram illustrating the process of visual collaboration.
Benefits:
- Role Based Access Control (LDAP Support)
- Persistent Collaboration Rooms
- Real-time, Synchronized Image Viewing
- Consolidated View: Images + Data
- Fast Image Viewing
- Secure Anytime-Anywhere Web-based Access
- Collaboration Playback
Value:
- Improve productivity by utilizing a single image source.
- Eliminate wasted effort by providing essential text data with images.
- Accelerate decision making with real-time communication.
- Leverage existing knowledge.
- Streamline processes.
- Eliminate shipping and printing costs.
- Reduce unnecessary travel.
VisualStrata™::Server
The collaboration server receives all incoming messages (XML), logs each message according to user and collaboration room, and routes the messages to the other participants (See figure 4). The VisualShare proprietary logging process records all messages including user and time stamps, images used in the collaboration, zoom-pan settings on each image, pointer actions, and text discussion. All recorded information can be “re-played” for collaboration review. Recording the collaboration allows our customers to extract additional value from the collaborations through data mining, process evaluation, and quality improvement.
Benefits:
- Role Based Access Control (LDAP Support)
- Persistent Collaboration Rooms
- Secure Web-based Administration
- Collaboration Logging and Playback
- Scalable
Value:
- Grows as you grow.
- No IT costs.
- Data mining for hidden value.
- Training/Education/Testing
- Information Products—Insurance
- Decision Support Tools
Figure 4:ple XML message of a multi-point line..
<message
to="df4efaae611ae810a3df4ef1756d1c44f53e3d1c445e6c1941@vstrata.visualshare.com"
type="conference" from="vs_user_3@vstrata.visualshare.com/ ">
<thread>aae611ae810a3df4ef1756f53e3d1c445e6c1941
<x xmlns="http://vstrata.visualshare.com/vstrata/">
</x>
</message>
Customer Integration and Deployment
VisualStrata™ is sold as a software service (SaaS) that does not require on-premise installation. As such images and data must be brought into VisualStrata™ in one of two ways: direct upload and remote linking. The first deployment option involves direct upload of images and text data into the VisualStrata image and data management consolidated web portal (Figure 3). This method leverages the existing image management features and requires no technical integration by VisualShare or the customer. In this scenario, the image and text data as well as the collaboration records are stored by VisualShare. The majority of VisualShare’s customers use this deployment mechanism.
The second deployment option uses remote linking between VisualStrata™ and the customer’s image and data management systems to provide access to the images and text data within VisualStrata. With this option only the collaboration records are stored in VisualStrata™. This method leverages the value of a customer’s large existing image repositories and provides the ability to combine multiple image repositories into a single, consolidated collaboration environment. Implementing the Web services requires technical expertise of the customer.
Deployment of VisualStrata™ takes less than 1 hour from start to finish. Deployment has been automated with a combination of source control systems, file synchronization programs and VisualShare proprietary software. The automated procedure obtains a stable copy of software and distributes it to a separate installation target for each customer. The installation process is logged and notifiers are sent to the account representative and the customer. Updates and maintenance occur in a near identical fashion except that the customer’s existing data is preserved. Due to the proprietary nature of our customer’s data and possible workflow modifications, each installation uses a separate and distinct copy of VisualStrata™.
Branding and Customization
VisualStrata™ is a brand-able platform that displays the specific workflow necessary for record creation—images and text information—along with a real-time, multi-user image centered collaboration environment. The workflow is easily changed or branded by modifying existing look-and-feel templates according to a Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. The MVC allows VisualShare or a partner to quickly brand VisualStrata™ by modifying only the “View” portion of the application while leaving the functional components untouched.
Value through Reporting>
VisualStrata™ provides two levels of reporting: individual record and system. A record consists of the images and text data that is the basis of collaboration. For example, the reports (Web and PDF) can be generated for a given record that contains the image and text data. These reports are valuable in situations where a given record (e.g., a biopsy diagnosis) must be produced for customer, patient or oversight body. In addition, VisualStrata™ produces a collaboration “re-play” report for a single record. This report is more like a movie player that re-plays one or more collaborations that occurred with a set of images. The live playback shows the images viewed, zoom and pan settings, users involved in the collaboration and the time/date of all communication.
System reports (Web and PDF) provide information on productivity, traffic volume, open and closed records, user access, and overall system usage statistics.
All reports are customizable as a fee for service.
6. Future Products
To learn more about VisualStrata, see our Product Sheet
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