This document discusses vendor neutral archives (VNA) for indexing and storing DICOM and non-DICOM objects from a chief technology officer's perspective. It describes how VNAs provide a centralized medical content repository that allows access across different vendors and applications while ensuring privacy and compliance. The document highlights considerations for indexing and storing objects in a VNA to manage costs and avoid vendor lock-in. It also discusses various interface standards and delivery models for VNAs.

1. Peter B. Lange
Executive IT-Architect
Office of the CTO, Public Sector, IBM Europe
VNA for indexing & storing DICOM & non-DICOM objects
- A point-of-view from a CTO
UK Imaging Informatics Group – Birmingham November 6, 2012
© 2012 IBM Corporation

2. Hospital Environment Today
Tomorrow
Radiology Cardiology ..ologies Other
Applications
Vendor Neutral Archive
Archive Archive Storage Backup
• DICOM archive • DICOM or non- • Non-DICOM
• Non-DICOM
• 50MB-2GB files DICOM • Backup and
• Little or no
• First generation • Little or no archiving archiving
obsolete archiving (DVD) • Small to very
• Small files
• “Closed” archives • 500MB-1GB files large files
• Dedicated
• Archive dedicated • Dedicated archive storage • Dedicated
to each PACS storage
••VNADifferent vendors, isolatedmedical content repository
• provides centralized archives
• VNA provides centralized medical content repository
Different vendors, isolated archives
•• ‘Anytotoany’ access (controlled)
• ‘AnyNo sharing of infrastructure
• No sharing of infrastructure
any’ access (controlled)
•• Ensures compliance with sites privacy regulations
•
•
No sharing of information base
• Ensuressharing of information baseprivacy regulations
No compliance with data
May be located at different
data
•• Simplifies maintenance and reduces storage cost
• Simplifies maintenance and sites
May be located at different reduces storage cost
© 2012 IBM Corporation
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3. VNA – Not just a digital dump ground
Open and standards based
Managed and structured
Leverage information
Scalable and secure
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4. What to look for when indexing in VNA. Become and stay vendor neutral.
Avoid VNA vendor lock-in, unlock DICOM content and secure future interoperability
Objects
DICOM
Indexing
Header VNA
Meta Data
Indexing Objects Meta Data
• Automated • Strip to the native format • Decompose most of the header
• Manage vendor specific headers • Follow open standards • Make as mush header
• Customizable • JPEG, JFIF, PDF, MPEG etc information available as possible
• Configurable • Avoid properitary formats • Don’t loose any information
• Rules driven • True vendor neutral format stored in the DICOM header
• Make available as non-DICOM • Preserve integrity of DICOM obj
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5. What to look for when storing in VNA. Manage cost of ownership.
Manage the cost when the tsunami hits
Hirachical Storage Mgmt De-dublication
• Combine fast on-line with slower • Automated detection and
and less expensive near-line removal of dublicates
and off-line (tape) storage • Policy driven removal of
• Policy driven migration based intermediate versions
e.g. on DICOM header
information or class of
information
Other means Retention & Disposition
• Compression, even most native • Rules-based event-driven
object formats already are retention and disposition
compressed • Not just age of study, but e.g.
events like ”patient turns 18 yrs”
• Meet regulations and at the
same time manage TCO
VNA
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6. VNA for non-DICOM objects. Interfaces are kings.
WebDAV Java Cnt Repository (JCR) CMIS
• Older W3C standard originated • J2EE standard initiated as • Content Management
in 1996 JSR170 in 2003 Interoperability Services
• Based on HTTP • JCR 2.0 in the works from 2010 • Recent (2010) OASIS standard
• Support is fading as JSR283 backed by major vendors like
Microsoft, IBM, ECM, Adobe
and others
File System Exchange XDS Vendor specific adaptors
• Vendor specific interfaces • VNA shall be XDS repository • Most VNA vendors provides
• Often based on file pairs of • Better more scalable security interfaces and API toolkits for
object and XML descriptor file model than native VNA on-line synchronous application
• Async and batch oriented • XDS-SD for scanned documents integration
• Can include parsing of e.g. • XDS for HL7 CDA docs
PDFs • XDR, XDM?
© 2012 IBM Corporation
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7. VNA = Vendor Neutral Architecture?
RIS/PACS Server Platform
• Support a broad set of • CPU
RIS/PACS and other diagnostic • 32/64 bit
imaging systems • Multi-core
• Easy configuration and • Form factor
customization of interface
Software Platform Storage Platform
• Operating System • Tiered storage
• Database • Network attached storage
• Application server
• Identity management
• Systems management
• Reporting
VNA
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8. Complexity from the many choices
Business Goals
Grow top and
bottom line by: IT Reality
• Driving business Getting Up and Running
innovation Takes months:
• Specify/Design • Integrate
• Make new markets • Procure • Deploy
• Respond to competitive
threats Development Operations
• Enhance the customer Takes 30-90 days:
experience • Provision • Configure
Ongoing Effort
Takes months and requires
downtime:
• Customize/Tune • Maintain
• Scale • Upgrade
• Manage
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9. Delivery models
RIS/PACS
EMR
Power
Appliances Cloud
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10. © 2012 IBM Corporation
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11. Backup Slides
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12. Unlocking the value of information
VNA Analytics and optimization
• Performance Monitoring
• Ressource optimization
• Clinical Analytics
• Decision support
• Research
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13. Capture as process trigger for cross-disiplinary pathways
VNA Process Management
• Image as pathway trigger
• Modeling
• Monitoring
• Simulation
• Optimization
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