FAQ - What is the visible human dataset and how can it be used?

Answer

The Visible Human Project, conducted by the National Library of Medicine (United States), has produced a complete and anatomically detailed 3-D representation of the male and female human body.

The project is comprised of a series of transverse computer tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imagine (MRI) and cryo-section of a representative male cadaver at 1mm intervals and a female at 0.3mm intervals.

The long-term goals of the Visible Human Project include linking the digital images to symbolic knowledge formats such as the names of body parts and to transparently link the print library of functional-physiological knowledge with the image library of structural-anatomical knowledge into one unified resource of health information.  

The Visible Human Project data sets are designed to serve as a common reference point for the study of human anatomy, as a set of common public domain data for testing medical imaging algorithms, and as a test bed and model for the construction of image libraries that can be accessed through networks.  The raw digital data allow for an ideal application of computer-based learning of anatomy.  The data sets are being applied to a wide range of educational, diagnostic, treatment planning, virtual reality, artistic, mathematical and industrial uses by over 1,400 licensees in 42 countries.  As models are developed and databases extended they will be used in education, at all levels, but especially for health care professionals.  Many resources that incorporate the data are now available e.g. Female Visible Human CD (1997) from Research Systems Inc., Segmented Visible Human (1997) from Gold Standard Media Inc., and Cross-sectional Anatomy Tutor CD (1996) from Jones and Bartlett.  The visible Human Dataset is now the most widely circulated compilation of digital human anatomy in the world.  The image database for the two cadavers occupies 64 gigabytes of pixel-based information, making it the largest collection of anatomical images ever assembled.

A license agreement for use of the full Visible Human Project data set is required, and application forms can be retrieved from the National Library for Medicines website

References

Spitzer V.M. and Whitlock D.G. (1998) The visible human dataset: the anatomical platfrom for human simulation. The Anatomical Record 253:49-57.

Rowe P.M. (1999) Visible human project pays back investment. Lancet 353:46.

Ackerman M.J. (1999) The visible human project: a resource for education. Academic Medicine 74(6):667-670.

Disclaimer: This FAQ was written by Dr Sarah Marshall and does not reflect an official endorsement by the HEA or any other organisation.  Any questions or queries should be sent to: enquiries@medev.ac.uk

Last updated: 01 July 2011