Multiple Particle Tracking Challenge and ISBI 2012 Workshop

[Erik Meijering]

Dear all,

As you know, quantitative analysis of dynamic processes in biological cells often requires accurate tracking of large numbers of particles in time-lapse microscopy images. In the past years, many algorithms have been developed for this purpose, but an objective comparison of all these algorithms for different scenarios has never been performed.

We are organizing a contest in which we aim to objectively compare the performance of all existing (and possibly newly developed) algorithms for multiple particle tracking (as opposed to cell tracking). We believe that the only way this will work is to establish a representative data set and to have the developers of the algorithms perform the tracking on these data themselves (rather than having other people use their tools to assess performance).

If you have developed particle tracking algorithms, we cordially invite you to participate in the contest, and register on the website:

http://bioimageanalysis.org/track/

Registered users will receive an email with more detailed information on the next steps in January.

The comparisons will initially be based on computer generated image sequences, modeling a spectrum of biologically realistic scenarios, and with ground truth known only by an independent evaluator (a member of the ISBI 2012 Organizing Committee, who will not be a contestant).

The contest is indeed organized as part of the ISBI 2012 Challenges:

http://www.biomedicalimaging.org/index.php/programme/isbi-challenges

and follows similar initiatives in the field of medical image analysis:

http://www.grand-challenge.org/

The results of the contest will be made available on the website and will be discussed at the corresponding workshop organized at ISBI 2012. All participating teams are invited to attend the workshop and present their methods (poster presentations), although attendance is not obligatory for participation in the contest.

As a final result we aim to describe the contest, the data, the methods, and the results, in a high-impact journal paper, co-authored by all participants.

With best regards,

Jean-Christophe Olivo-Marin (Institut Pasteur, Paris, France)
Erik Meijering (Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

P.S. Please feel free to forward this announcement to collaborators who may be interested.