Introducing the LBNL Image Library Web Server
Mary R. Thompson
Dec. 5, 1997
Table of Contents
What is the Image Library?
The LBLN Image Library is a Web Server designed to help researchers organize
and easily browse and search through collections of large images. Creation
and access to an image collection is done entirely through a Web interface
which provides graphical, platform-independent and location-independent
access.
Finding a desired image in a collection of many large images presents
several problems. The usual problems of finding one item in a large set
is compounded by the fact that the most effective way to identify an image
is to display it, but in the case of large images remotely stored this
can be very slow.
The Image Library provides the following tools to address these difficulties:
-
allows the collection to be laid out in hierarchical sub-collections which
can be independent of how the original images are stored
-
keeps a text description file associated with each image and indexes over
these files
-
creates and stores a set of smaller "thumnail" images that can be viewed
quickly
-
provides browsing tools to present sets of thumbnail images selected by
subcollection, search results or individually by the user.
What is a collection?
An Image Library collection consists of textual and graphical indexing
material associated with pointers to the original images. A user or project
creates a top level collection with the assistance of the Image Library
administrator. Once the orginal beachhead is established the collection
owner is able to completely manage the collection via Web form interfaces.
When creating an Image Library collection, the user must have the original
images accessible to the Image Library server. Either the filesystem that
the original images are kept on can be NFS mounted to the machine on which
the Image Library server is running, or a copy of the Image Library software
can be run on the machine on which the images reside. If the original images
are kept on LBNL's Mass Storage System, the Image Library server can reference
them via the MSS http server.
A collection contains a description file for the collection which
includes such items as the owner's name, default values for viewing the
collection, current location of the original image files, format of the
thumbnail images, information about what users may access the collection
and whatever identifying description the owner wants to enter. There is
also a default tag file which defines keywords and default values
for the text metadata that is associated with each image and a metadata
definition file that defines the non-textual metadata associated with
each image, e.g the image thumbnails, compressed representations of the
data and the pointer to the original data.
A top level collection may be subdivided into hierarchical subcollections
for organizational purposes.A subcollection may inherit properties from
its parent at creation time, but subsequently it acts like an indpendent
entity with two exceptions: indexes can be created covering subtrees of
collections; and the users and groups that may be granted access to each
subcollection are shared. So while each subcollection can have different
access lists these lists can only refer to users and groups that have been
registered at the top collection level.
How to use the Image Library
Image Library Home Page
The home page for the Image Library is located at:
http://imglib.lbl.gov/ImgLib/welcome.html
It provides the following options:
The BERKELEY LAB ON-LINE PHOTO ARCHIVE is a collection of
interesting and historically relevant photos. The INDEX TO ALL COLLECTIONS
shows a listing of all the top-level collections. Two are publicly accessible:
the Berkeley-Lab and Lung_Structure collections. The CURATORS INTERFACE
provides functions that curators will need to use, such as creating subcollections,
adding new images, editing information, etc. USER GUIDES has links to
pages that describe and tell how to use the ImgLib, including this one.
Browsing the Berkeley Lab collection
The result of chosing the BERKELEY
LAB ON-LINE PHOTO ARCHIVE looks like:
The images are grouped into hierarchical subcollections roughly
by subject to provide smaller groups of images to view at one time.
-
To browse an entire sub-collection by displaying thumbnail-sized images,
together with pointers to the descriptions and other sizes of images, just
click view.
-
To browse collections by thumbnail-sized images only, or if your Web browser
does not support Netscape-style tables, select image-browse from
the browse menu, followed by view.
Policy and forms
for external use of these images and ordering copies of the images. Ifyou
want to order more than one image, add them to your selected list
and then order from there.
Index
of all subcollections Index
of all images
Each of the above options are subcollections of the top-level collection
"Berkeley-Lab". Since the "Berkeley-Lab" collection contains over 1000
images, it is divided into a hierarchical structure roughly based on subject
so that smaller groups of images may be viewed.
The search option at the top allows a user to search all
of the associated text for every ImgLib entry for keywords. The result
of a search displays a thumnail image and the matching text for each file
that is found. The "Index of all subcollections" and "Index of
all images" links at the bottom provide a hierarchical view of all
the subcollections and a listing of all the images and their titles, respectively.
Browsing other top level collections
From the ImgLib home page, choosing the INDEX TO ALL COLLECTIONS
option displays a listing similar to the one above, except it is a listing
of the top level collections. Note that most of the top level collections
are restricted, but the Berkeley-lab and the Lung_Structure top-level collections
are publicly viewable.
Browsing a collection
Chosing to browse a collection displays the thumbnails in the following
fashion.
LBNL Image Library -- Index of BERKELEY-LAB RESEARCH ADVANCED-LIGHT-SOURCE
Click on {medium, large or hi-resolution} to get larger
versions of the pictures. Click on the filename to get a description of
the picture. Click on image to get description and a larger image. Click
on select to add the image to a list of images for later reference, staging,
ordering, moving, deleting, or editing. If you plan to look at several
high resolution images that are kept on Mass Storage, it is quicker to
stage them as a group. If you don't have your own userid on the Mass Storage
Server, use user: guest, password: welcome
More Images
1 |
2 |
3
The "More Images" at the bottom of the page exists to subdivide large
collections further, so that a limited number of images are displayed at
a time.
Using a selection list
The browse window gives you an option to select images for later processing.
The selection list is simply a list of images from various collections
which is kept under your userid or machine name for up to 12 hours. To
select an image, simply click on the "select" button that appears with
a displayed image. To then add that image to your selection list, click
to add "Selected Files" on the button near the top of the page, as shown
below.
The results of selecting three images from the ALS collection are:
Selected list: hal.lbl.gov
You may use this list to select files for staging from the LBL
Mass Storage System, to delete images from your collections, to move or rename
images, to make identical edits to groups of tag files and to order photos
from the Berkeley Lab Photo Archive collection.
- To see larger images and/or tag files click on large, hi, the icon or
the image name.
- To add new images to this list, browse the
collection in which the images to be added reside and select
images that you wish to add.
- To select images from this list, click on the select button.
Searching ImgLib text info for keywords
At the top of each browsing page, the search option allows a user
to search the descriptions of the images in the current subcollection for
keywords. An example search page follows, searching for the keyword "undulators":
This form uses the Glimpse
search engine. Patterns
gives a description of the possible search patterns.
The results from this sample search are:
Query Results
Glimpse query was:
/usr/local/glimpse-3.6/bin/glimpse -y -i -0 -H /home/imglib2/http/htdocs/ImgLib/COLLECTIONS/BERKELEY-LAB
'undulators'
Curators Interface
The Curators Interface is used for creating and maintaining subcollections.
The options of the curators interface are shown below.
Create a new collection in the
LBNL Image Library
Add to or edit a collection in the
LBNL Image Library
Add or remove a User or change a
password
Export files from Mass Storage
System
User Guide to the LBNL Image
Library
Policy on usage of retrieved
image and text documents
Administrative
info for this page
Imglib Home page
ITG Home page 
LBNL Home page
BERKELEY
LAB ON-LINE PHOTO ARCHIVE