dcm4che History

The journey of dcm4che began around the year 2000 at TIANI Medgraph AG, where Gunter Zeilinger developed the popular JDicom utility suite using a commercial Java DICOM Toolkit (JDT). This experience sparked the creation of dcm4che (pronounced d-c-m-for-chay), an open-source alternative driven by Gunter's belief in the power of collaboration. The name playfully references the common Java naming convention ("d-c-m-for-jay") while hinting at its revolutionary spirit.

 

Designed for Openness

 

The initial goal of dcm4che was to become a standard Java-based DICOM API through a Java Specification Request (JSR) submitted to Sun. This vision led to a well-defined interface layer separated from the implementation. Though the JSR wasn't realized, dcm4che gained traction within the Java DICOM development community.

 

Birth of dcm4jboss and its Evolution

 

Soon after, the dcm4jboss archive emerged as a sub-project, implementing the IHE Image Manager and Image Archive actors. Over time, dcm4jboss matured into a robust platform for managing medical images and reports. Its success at multiple IHE Connectathons and real-world deployments solidified its reputation. To better reflect its enterprise capabilities, dcm4jboss was later renamed to dcm4chee (pronounced d-c-m-for-chee), with the extra "e" signifying its focus on enterprise environments.

 

Continuous Development and a New Chapter

TIANI Medgraph AG's ownership transitioned through GWI to Agfa Gevaert during this period, and dcm4che's development continued uninterrupted. In 2015, Gunter joined the newly established J4Care, a company fully committed to the development of dcm4che, marking a new chapter in his journey.

 

Thank You for Being Part of the Story!

 

We appreciate your interest in dcm4che's history. Whether you leverage the toolkit or the dcm4chee archive application, we hope it empowers your work. We also encourage you to join the vibrant dcm4che community!

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