CloudCT - web-based data management for industrial CT

The consistent and comprehensive storage of all CT data and the ability to view and process the data from any computer have considerably increased the efficiency of industrial CTs. Users can access the data at any time, from anywhere, and are not required to use a specific computer. In addition, inconsistencies in the data pool are no longer possible because all data is stored in a central location instead of being distributed across several data storage media as is often the case at present. Users of industrial CTs no longer have to take care of organizing their data pools because CloudCT does it systematically. Data can be found quickly and easily using a search function and via a series of search criteria: name, data, user, and key words. In addition, the use of a central RAID system increases data security.

Any number of computed tomography scanners can be connected to the system. This way, real-time information related to all ongoing scans can be accessed, e.g., the name of the measurement, the starting time, and the remaining measurement period. In addition, the results of the CT measurements (e.g., projection data, volume data, and measurement protocols) are automatically transferred into the system where they are immediately available to the user in CloudCT. By connecting the CTs, status information (e.g., atmospheric humidity, temperature, and air pressure) can also be transferred and displayed graphically. To do so, the tomography scanners are equipped with the respective sensors and connected to CloudCT via a standardized interface.

The CloudCT system is in continuous development. A future app in development will allow the system to be accessed by smartphones and tablets. Push notifications are used to send the user information, e.g., if a measurement is complete or a breakdown has occurred. The online processing of image data will also be expanded: new algorithms will be able to be applied to the data directly via CloudCT, e.g., reconstruction algorithms or algorithms for technical measurement assessment. A statistics module will also make it possible to access a wide variety of statistics related to the connected CTs, e.g., regarding capacity used or downtime. In order to deal with the enormous quantity of data in an efficient manner, automatic data compression will be integrated. With these developments, the CloudCT system will make industrial computed tomography even more efficient and user-friendly, which will increase the cost-effectiveness of this technology.