The PET Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) has finally been released with BIDS v. 1.6.0. You can read it here!
The Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) is a standard specifying the description of neuroimaging data in a filesystem hierarchy and of the metadata associated with the imaging data.
The goal of BIDS is to make neuroimaging data more accessible, shareable, and usable by researchers. To achieve this goal, BIDS seeks to develop a simple and intuitive way to organize and describe neuroimaging and associated data. BIDS has three foundational principles:
To minimize complexity and facilitate adoption, reuse existing methods and technologies whenever possible.
Tackle 80% of the most commonly used neuroimaging data, derivatives, and models (inspired by the pareto principle).
Adoption by the global neuroimaging community and their input during the creation of the specification is critical for the success of the project.
In the fall of 2019 I have become a member of the BIDS Steering Group. Membership of the steering group is through elections by BIDS Contributors, and BIDS Steering Group terms are 2 years.
How did I get involved in BIDS?
In 2016, the NeuroReceptor Mapping conference (NRM2016) in Boston hosted a panel discussion regarding positron emission tomography (PET) data sharing. The audience unanimously supported a motion to establish a working group that would propose guidelines for data sharing. Following this, in fall 2017 I attended NeuroHackWeek in Seattle and met Chris Gorgolewski. Chris had been called in by the PET community to help with data standardization and with adopting a PET BIDS extension. When he heard that I am interested in data sharing and working with PET and was actually located in one of the biggest PET labs worldwide, he asked me if I could help with the development of the PET BIDS extension (BEP0009).
Why did I choose to run for election to the steering group?
My biggest motivation for working on BIDS is the aim of facilitating data sharing. Compared to MRI and most other neuroimaging modalities, PET is a very expensive, technically challenging and invasive technique. This leads to sample sizes in general being low (~20-50 people) and to data analysis workflows being highly dependent on the neuroimaging lab that acquires the data.
So I am really hoping to get momentum in the PET data sharing world and hence it was a natural interest of mine to get involved in the steering group to represent PET.
What is your main focus in working on BIDS?
My main focus will be on outreach to the communities that are not yet heavily involved in BIDS. For example, compared to the MRI community the PET community needs to reinvent itself and embrace data sharing as recently has been pointed out in a major PET journal (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-019-04541-y). To this end I am actively involved in organizing a data sharing/BIDS workshop at NRM2020 and to get more PET researchers interested in contributing to and using BIDS. As a steering group member, I want to identify further imaging modalities/derivatives in the need of standardization and get them started on the road to BIDS and support them with embracing BIDS.