KNOSSOS

Researchers and scientists who work in the field of medicine and neuroscience and have as their primary type of data 2D and 3D electron-microscope imagery, require a way to visualize such images. KNOSSOS is a tool that will provide users the means to open and handle such images by displaying the data into slices for selected planes. It offers support for annotations and skeleton modes, coupled with scripting in the form of Python.

The application carries an impressive interface that holds some layout features which promote and improve efficient image handling. One opened, image projects will be displayed according to the segmentation selected in the 3D rendering.

Users can select the display planes individually, and when performing zoom or pan operations, all of them will update accordingly, in real-time. Snapshots can be taken at any time and annotations can be saved, for later use and processing.

During our tests, the app proved to be very responsive, and all the loaded datasets were rendered quickly and without any lag. We are inclined to believe that handling large data will not pose a problem and that the app will perform flawlessly.

The multitude of provided features encompasses a wide range of operations, from the main annotation and snapshot features, all the way to compression settings and additional scripting capabilities. External plugins are also supported, for those demanding users who might require that extra bit of functionality.

Those who require a rock-solid tool for opening, handling and analyzing 3D electron-microscope imagery through slicing can surely rely on KNOSSOS. Its flawless operation, coupled with the feature set it boasts can provide the required analysis and annotation for such datasets that most researchers in the field of medical science require.