SDK DICOM Basics

This page outlines the basic principles of using the Encord SDK to work with DICOM files.

Getting started

1. Make sure you have installed all prerequisites and the Encord SDK. If you haven’t done so, all the instructions you need to do so are here.

2. Ensure you have a public - private key pair to authenticate with Encord. To learn more about authentication in Encord see our documentation here.

You can find instructions on creating a public-private key pair in the Encord platform here.

Common entities used when working with DICOM

The following table shows how to refer to various DICOM-related entities when using the Encord SDK.

Entity	Name in the SDK	Notes
Dataset	dataset_hash	Corresponds to the Dataset ID.
Data Unit	data_hash	Corresponds to the data unit’s ID.
Project	project_hash	Corresponds to the Project’s ID.
Ontology	ontology_hash	Corresponds to the Ontology’s ID. Learn how to work with Ontologies here.
Study ID	study_uid	Corresponds to the Study ID as defined in the DICOM standard. Learn how to work with DICOM metadata here.
Series ID	series_uid	Corresponds to the Series ID as defined in the DICOM standard. Learn how to work with DICOM metadata here.
Patient ID	patient_id	Corresponds to the Patient ID as defined in the DICOM standard. Learn how to work with DICOM metadata here.
DICOM Instance ID	dicom_instance_uid	Corresponds to the DICOM Instance ID as defined in the DICOM standard. Learn how to work with DICOM metadata here.
Frame Width	width	Corresponds to the columns attribute as defined in the DICOM standard. Learn how to work with DICOM metadata here.
Frame Height	height	Corresponds to the rows attribute as defined in the DICOM standard. Learn how to work with DICOM metadata here.

The hash for any entity can be seen and copied by selecting the entity in the Encord platform, as shown below for an ontology.

DICOM metadata

Please see our tutorial on DICOM metadata to learn how to view metadata pertaining to a series, or individual slices.

Uploading DICOM data to Encord

To upload DICOM data to Encord:

1. Create a dataset.
2. Upload data from your local machine, or register data from private cloud storage.

To add data from a cloud server, a JSON file specifying the files to be added is required. Click here to learn more.

You can also use the Encord platform to create a dataset, and add data to the dataset.