Overview of the WAIR 2.0 Software

The WAIR software is a tool for quantitative analysis of various n-dimensional (n-D) image registration techniques. In particular, its applications include, but are not limited to, analyzing warp performance for stereotactic Human Brain anatomical and functional data. Using the Discrete Wavelet Transform (WT) we develop several image registration (warp) classification schemes. The first one, called "wavelet-space triangle analysis", is applicable for studying a family of warps on a single or multiple n-D data sets. For each data set the WAIR routine assigns a positive real number to every warp alignment in the family, and the best warp, for the given data, will be the one having the smallest value associated with it. The second classification method, called "cluster group classification", is applicable for analyzing the overall performance of a family of warps of a groups of data sets. Here, there is a single number assigned to each registration alignment, based on its group-clustering characteristics. Third goodness of warp approach, called SGC (spread group classification), is applicable for analyzing functional brain data. It gives preference to registration techniques that spread apart baseline versus activation functional signal for group data. Both, the multi-dimensional discrete WT and the corresponding "triangle", "cluster-group" and "spread-group" classification approaches are included in the package. All routines are invoked as standard UNIX commands and (with one exception) neither expect nor allow user interaction once the command has been issued. The series of 'C' subroutines which comprise the WAIR library can be easily incorporated into the user's site specific programs adapted to their particular needs.

A future version of WAIR will include a graphical user interface (GUI) written in Tcl/Tk. Currently, the WAIR package does not provide any graphics or image display capabilities. And no file format converters are included in this software. The user is supposed to convert their original data into 4 byte floating-point raw data files, then execute the WAIR routines to obtain the desired warp ranking.

This package was originally developed to work on Sun SPARC stations using the 'C' language compiler provided by Sun as part of the standard system software. If you currently use an 8 bits/pixel file format on a Sun SPARC station equipped with the standard 'C' compiler, have at least (XX Bytes + 16 MB) of RAM (where XX = 4*(Number of data sets)*(Number of warps)*(Dimension_1 * ... *Dimension_n) Bytes), and are familiar with the UNIX operating system, you should be able to install and use the WAIR package without additional assistance, even if you know nothing about 'C' programming. However, if any of these conditions is not met, it is likely that you will need the assistance of a 'C' programmer who is familiar with the UNIX operating system. There are several 2D test images provided in the subdirectory "test_data.dir/" that can be used to inspect the installation of the software, as well as, for testing and interpreting the results of the wavelet analysis, both analytically and visually.

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