Instant Feedback Rapid Prototyping for GPU-Accelerated Computation, Manipulation, and Visualization of Multidimensional Data

OBJECTIVE: We have created an open-source application and framework for rapid GPU-accelerated prototyping, targeting image analysis, including volumetric images such as CT or MRI data. METHODS: A visual graph editor enables the design of processing pipelines without programming. Run-time compiled compute shaders enable prototyping of complex operations in a matter of minutes. RESULTS: GPU-acceleration increases processing the speed by at least an order of magnitude when compared to traditional multithreaded CPU-based implementations, while offering the flexibility of scripted implementations. CONCLUSION: Our framework enables real-time, intuition-guided accelerated algorithm and method development, supported by built-in scriptable visualization. SIGNIFICANCE: This is, to our knowledge, the first tool for medical data analysis that provides both high performance and rapid prototyping. As such, it has the potential to act as a force multiplier for further research, enabling handling of high-resolution datasets while providing quasi-instant feedback and visualization of results.