Files:

This contains the name(s) of the files used to record data. It consists of a list of files. Some formats use several files to store data. For example the ANALYZE format uses two files with the extensions .hdr and .img. These files are grouped into one database item.

Data type:

This identifies the contents of a data item (image, mesh, functional image, anatomical MRI, etc.). The data types are organized into a hierarchy, so that a generic type can be broken down into several more specialized types. For example, the 3D Image type can also be seen as a 4D image (a 4-dimensional image is a specific example of a 3-dimensional image); the 3D image type can itself be broken down into several types, including T1 MRI and brain mask.

File format:

The file format is used to record a data item. BrainVISA is capable of recognizing several file formats (for example, DICOM, Analyse/SPM, GIS, etc.). It is possible to add new data formats and provide converters so that existing processes can handle these new formats.

Attributes:

An attribute is an association between a name and a value. A set of attributes is associated with each item in a BrainVISA database. This group of attributes represents all the characteristics of a data item (for example, the size of an image, the protocol to which the data item is related, or the data acquisition parameters). Attribute values are inserted by BrainVISA when it browses the database directory.