User:Peterduncan70/Definiens AG

Definiens AG (Munich, Germany) is an image analysis software company originally founded in 1994 by the Nobel Laureate Dr. Gerd Binnig. Definiens currently develops and markets software for the life sciences, medical imaging, and earth sciences industries.

The basic workflow behind Definiens' method for image analysis is as follows:

1. An image is digitally acquired into a computer 2. A domain expert applies their knowledge to create an image analysis algorithm by interacting with the software in order to facilitate machine learning 3. The image analysis solution is saved, and applied to subsequent images, either automatically, or semi-automatically.

Definiens software is based on the application of Cognition Network Technology (CNT) which is deployed into a client / server environment. The company's tagline is, "The number one Enterprise Image Intelligence company."

Definiens CNT uses either pre-developed or user created algorithms to aggregate image pixels into objects using properties such as color, shape, straightness, and roundness. This process is called segmentation.

Once the image has been segmented, the user begins the process of machine learning, whereby the user's domain expertise is transferred to the computer in order to classify regions of interest. It is at this time that the machine learning process is establishing contextual relationships between objects. This process is called classification.

For example, in a digital image from a tissue specimen, the software creates the following hierarchal relationships: Pixel; Groups of pixels (object image primitives); Objects (nucleus, cytoplasm, membrane); Histological features (lumen, stroma, glands, white space); Super objects (tissue and background). Once these associations are made, the system will process images by establishing and quantifying the object relationships in the image.

Once the image analysis algorithm has been created, it is then used to automatically quantify images multiparametrically. Image features such as color, texture, shape, roundness, distance, area, brightness, density, nearest neighbor, distance to border are then quantified. Additionally, statistical values such as mean, max, min, and standard deviation are reported.

The current products that Definiens markets are:

Definiens Developer XD; Definiens Architect XD; Definiens Viewer XD; Definiens Server XD; Definiens Cellenger; Definiens Tissue Studio; Definiens LymphExpert