An abstract submitted to VPH2010 about the VPH ToolKit. It describes the evolving approach to the ToolKit. The ways in which the approach to content provision is adapting to the needs of users are considered, taking into account the need for sustainability beyond the life of the VPH-NoE. To this end a process of standardisation is being introduced, to ensure high quality ToolKit contributions and involving the development and publication of formalised guidelines for submissions, adherence to which will ensure that content can provide maximum utility to other users. Working Groups drawn from VPH-NoE partners are being formed to further this approach.

This is a preprint of a paper to appear in Phil Trans Roy Soc A on the VPH ToolKit. Abstract The Virtual Physiological Human (VPH) is a major European e-Science initiative intended to support the development of patient-specific computer models and their application in personalized and predictive healthcare. The VPH Network of Excellence (VPH-NoE) project is tasked with facilitating interaction between the various VPH projects and addressing issues of common concern. A key deliverable is the `VPH ToolKit'---a collection of tools, methodologies, and services to support and enable VPH research, integrating and extending existing work across Europe towards greater interoperability and sustainability. Due to the diverse nature of the field, a single monolithic `toolkit' is incapable of addressing the needs of the VPH. Rather, the VPH ToolKit should be considered more as a `toolbox' of relevant technologies, interacting around a common set of standards. The latter apply to the information used by tools, including any data and the VPH models themselves, and also to the naming and categorising of entities and concepts involved. Furthermore, the technologies and methodologies available need to be widely disseminated, and relevant tools and services easily found by researchers. The VPH-NoE has thus created an online resource for the VPH community to meet this need. It consists of a database of tools, methods, and services for VPH research, with a web front-end. This has facilities for searching the database, for adding or updating entries, and for providing user feedback on entries. Anyone is welcome to contribute.

Software Design document for an open source and cross-platform mid-level DICOM management layer including an abstract GUI and advanced features (e.g. image indexing, PACS/HIS access) that could be plugged directly into existing software.

Requirements specification for the GUIDE (Guidelines for Image Development Environment) tool, a website to guide users (both developers, researchers, and clinicians) in choosing the proper medical and biomedical image analysis tools (software, libraries, etc.), and to provide support enabling their sharing and open use.

A survey of available DICOM image reader libraries.