NCS-FO: Connectome mapping algorithms with application to community services for big data neuroscience

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Neuroscience is advancing by dissolving disciplinary boundaries and promoting transdisciplinary research between psychologists, cognitive neuroscientists, computer scientists, and engineers, to name a few. The success of this scientific endeavor would be enhanced by establishing software mechanisms to improve reproducibility of scientific results. This project develops a software platform that facilitates publication of publicly-accessible data and implementation of data-analysis algorithms. Both functions will be achievable within high-performance computing environments. The platform will enable publication of reproducible code, and access to national supercomputers. It will also make available reference datasets for validating results and data quality. It is expected that the open online platform will promote voluntary data submissions in exchange for access to the system. In addition, this platform will provide a reusable database of "data derivatives," which are data at different stages of preprocessing, including cortical segmentations, meshes, functional maps, brain connectivity matrices, or white-matter tracts. This open-derivatives database will allow computer scientists, mathematical scientists and engineers to use these data to develop and improve methods in their domains. Most generally, providing easy-to-use published data and methods will promote understanding the brain and allow diverse communities of scientists to use reproducible methods, and reuse the "long tail" of neuroimaging data.The project focuses on providing seamless public access to data, computing, and reproducible algorithms, while promoting code sharing and upcycling the long tail of neuroscience data. It has three main objectives. First, to develop a platform to capture brain data, publish algorithms as reproducible applications, and perform data-intensive computing on high-performance compute clusters, as well as public clouds. Second, to develop novel algorithms for mapping brain-connectome individuality and variability. The algorithms will enhance discovery by leveraging the online platform for data intensive processing of large datasets. Third, to collate a large data set of brain data and data derivatives (processed data), such as connectome matrices, multi-parameters tractography models, cortical segmentation and functional maps. These derivatives will benefit scientists to develop algorithms for functional mapping, anatomical computing, and model optimization. This project is funded by Integrative Strategies for Understanding Neural and Cognitive Systems (NSF-NCS), a multidisciplinary program jointly supported by the Directorates for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Education and Human Resources (EHR), Engineering (ENG), and Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE). It has also received funding from the CISE Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure.