Dicoogle - an Open Source Peer-to-Peer PACS

Abstract

Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) have been widely deployed in healthcare institutions, and they now constitute a normal commodity for practitioners. However, its installation, maintenance, and utilization are still a burden due to their heavy structures, typically supported by centralized computational solutions. In this paper, we present Dicoogle, a PACS archive supported by a document-based indexing system and by peer-to-peer (P2P) protocols. Replacing the traditional database storage (RDBMS) by a documental organization permits gathering and indexing data from file-based repositories, which allows searching the archive through free text queries. As a direct result of this strategy, more information can be extracted from medical imaging repositories, which clearly increases flexibility when compared with current query and retrieval DICOM services. The inclusion of P2P features allows PACS internetworking without the need for a central management framework.Moreover, Dicoogle is easy to install, manage, and use, and it maintains full interoperability with standard DICOM services.

A multi-domain platform for medical imaging

“…In the context of medical imaging, with a P2P network, it is possible to develop a system where numerous peers can share with each other their DICOM documents [12].…”

Anatomy of an Extensible Open Source PACS

“…It is estimated that over 1 EB of data pertaining to medical procedures will be produced in 2016 [9]. Due to the increasing demand for more flexible PACS solutions, researchers are actively exploring state-ofthe-art paradigms and technologies such as distributed and heterogeneous computing grids [10,11], cloud computing [12], peer-to-peer networks [6], and knowledge extraction using indexing engines [13].…”

“…Besides the lengthy timespan required when bringing a tool to market, the high cost and complex setup required by these systems also limits severely the availability of these tools [1,6]. This is a major constraint particularly in small medical institutions and in some research centers.…”

“…In that regard, these are advantages provided by Dicoogle [6], an open source PACS with a plugin-based architecture. What makes Dicoogle unique is its mindset towards the exploration and application of innovative technological approaches while providing the robustness required of a PACS for its daily operations.…”

The characteristics and capabilities of the available open source health information technologies supporting healthcare: a scoping review protocol

“…United States’ Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) and Canada’s OSCAR], district health information systems (DHIS) [ e.g. DHIS2 ()] and Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), for example, Dicoogle5 to avail themselves of the advantages of OSS 2 , 6 – 8. For example, VistA, a free and OS EHR built and maintained by the United States Department of Public Health Services is considered to be the largest health information systems acquired globally 9.…”