LiMi-Model
The Light-Microscopy (LiMi) Model aims to create globally consistent descriptions of light microscopy hardware, acquisition settings, and quality-control metrics to enhance image quality and reproducibility in compliance with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles.
Built by consensus among research scientists, manufacturers, software engineers, bioimage analysts, funders, and publishers across the global imaging community, it is structured to be extensible and adaptable to diverse technical requirements, experimental needs, and scientific questions.
Purpose
- Promote and implement global standards for managing image data throughout its lifecycle, from generation to publication.
- Facilitate deposition to major image data repositories (e.g., BioImage Archive, OME-Image Data Resource, RIKEN SSBD, Brain Image Library, Imaging Data Commons) by implementing the Image Acquisition module of the Recommended Metadata for Biological Images (REMBI) guidelines.
- Facilitate the reuse of image data, such as extracting quantitative information using advanced bioimage analysis techniques, including AI and machine learning.
- Engage stakeholders from academia, core facilities, and industry to sustain the project’s success.
Deliverables
- A flexible and adaptable community-agreed vocabulary to describe microscopy hardware, image acquisition settings, and their associated quality control measurements.
- A metadata model to structure the vocabulary and organize the data.
- A set of machine-actionable representations of the metadata model leveraging the latest Linked Data technology.
The LiMi-Model is for...
Getting started
Community Stakeholders
- Read about the model in Nature Methods
- Explore the structure of the model using the LiMi-Model Viewer
- Test the model by annotating your images with the Micro-Meta App to experience its early applications.
- Share your feedback and propose changes on GitHub or by emailing limi-model@quarep.org.
Software Developers
- Familiarize yourself with the schema of the LiMi-Model on GitHub.
- Learn about how you can use the specifications for your application by following the Micro-Meta App example.
Get more involved
- Help us improve the LiMi-Model Viewer by providing feedback on GitHub.
- Read our meeting minutes and other documentation on QUAREP-LiMi Nextcloud
Governance
QUAREP-LiMi maintains and governs the LiMi-Model, guiding the production of revised versions as needs arise through the LiMi-Model Revision Process.
The Best Practices document outlining the procedure for implementing model changes is available on Zenodo.
Learn more about why and how the LiMi Model was developed to update the Open Microscopy Environment (OME) Data Model