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Future radiology departments with DIN/PACS will likely contain many different workstations developed by independent image processing vendors. However, radiologists and other users of the workstations should not be forced to learn more than one interface to DIN/PACS: the same image processing, data base management and networking commands should be usable from any workstation or network node on the system. In addition, programmers of this consistent user interface should not have to concern themselves with the intricacies of each workstation on the system. Rather, they should be able to select functions from a workstation library which manipulates the image display in (as much as possible) a device-independent manner. Previously we have introducted a Multi-process Virtual Image Processor (MUVIP) software architecture for maximizing image processing applications code portability [I]. Applications programs generate device-independent image processing commands, or "metacode," which is passed to a separate process called an Autonomous Virtual Image Processor (AVIP). Thus, in order to transport an applications program to a new image processor, it is necessary only to create a new AVIP corresponding to that processor. In this sense each applications program is "totally portable," since transferring it to a new device does not require either recompilation or relinking of the applications program itself. In this paper, we consider implementations of the MUVIP architecture on two hosts, and its application to three image processors. A test function set was created, and a consistent user interface for those functions was developed for each combination of host and image processor. The image processor used by each program was selectable at run time, and in the case of one program, two image processors could be used together in a cooperative mode, providing more capability than either could achieve alone. The raw interprocess communication overhead of MUVIP was measured, and its impact on the test functions' performance was examined and found to be negligible. Thus, it was demonstrated that the MUVIP architecture is a viable alternative for enhancing the portability of image processing applications programs.
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