Testing Tools
IHE has developed a growing body of software tools to facilitate
testing and implementation of IHE Integration Profiles in healthcare information
technology systems. These tools are available for download and licensed by
their developers for free use. The links below point to sources with further
information and direct access to download the tools.
A profile-by-profile Index to Pre-Connectathon Test
Software is available here.
A more general list of useful tools and tool kits, many of which are used for
different aspects of IHE testing, was assembled by IHE Europe as part of the HITCH
project.
Gazelle
Developer: University of Rennes, INRIA,
Kereval
URL: http://gazelle.ihe.net/
Contact: Eric Poiseau
Licensing: Open Source (with
attribution requirement)
Development Platform: JBoss/Seam
Delivery Method: Web Portal
Description: Gazelle is the main testing
management tool used for IHE Connectathons.
Profiles and Constructs: All IHE profiles.
MESA
Developer: Mallinckrodt Institute of
Radiology, Washington University
URL: http://ihedoc.wustl.edu/mesasoftware/11.11.0/dist/index.htm
Contact:
Licensing: Open Source (with
attribution requirement)
Development Platform: C++/PERL/Java
Delivery Method: Application/Server/Command
Line
Description: MESA is the main body of the
current generation of IHE Test Tools developed at the Mallinckrodt Institute of
Radiology (MIR) at Washington University in St. Louis. Version 11.11.0 is the
latest public release of the software created by MIR to support testing during
the 2007-2008 annual testing cycle.
Profiles and Constructs:
Gazelle
Test Management Tool
Developer: INRIA
URL: http://wiki.ihe.net/index.php?title=INRIA_Gforge_Implementation_Material
Contact: Eric Poiseau
Licensing: Apache 2
Development Platform: Java, Jboss
Delivery Method: Web application
Description: Test management software for
Connectathons and "Projectathons" that includes facilities for
integrating test simulators and use of proxies.
Profiles Tested: Manages testing of all
profiles. Simulators for individual profiles are being added over time.
HL7
V2 Toolkit
Developer: National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST)
URL: http://hl7v2tools.nist.gov/
Contact:
Licensing: Public Domain
Development Platform: Java
Delivery Method: Java API, Web Services,
Desktop Application, Web Application
Description: NIST has developed a set of
tools, focusing mainly on Cross-enterprise Document Sharing (XDS) and related
Integration Profiles.
Profiles and Constructs:
EVS Message Validation Toolkit
Developer: INRIA
URL: http://gazelle.ihe.net/EVSClient/
Contact: Eric Poiseau
Licensing: Apache 2.0
Development Platform: Java
Delivery Method: Java API, Web Services, Web
Application
Description: INRIA developped for IHE
Europe, HL7 V2 message profiles for all the HL7 V2 messages defined within IHE.
More than 150 profiles are now available for download. The EVSClient is a web
application that can be used to call the Gazelle External Validation Services.
The tool allows users to call the EVS defined by NIST, and INRIA for the
validation of Dicom, HL7V2, HL7V3, SAML assertions, Audit Messages and CDA
documents.
Profiles and Constructs: All profiles that uses HL7
V2 messages, HL7 V3 messages, SAML Assertions, Audit Messages, CDA documents
and Dicom objects
XDS
Toolkit
Developer: National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST)
URL: http://ihexds.nist.gov
Contact: Bill Majurski
(bill_AT_nist_._gov)
Licensing: Public Domain
Development Platform: Java
Delivery Method: Java API, Web Services,
Desktop Application, Web Application
Description: NIST has developed a set of
tools, focusing on Cross-enterprise Document Sharing (XDS) and related
Integration Profiles.
Profiles and Constructs: XDS.b, XCA, Metadata Update, MPQ, XDR, XDM
XDS-I
and PIX/PDQv3 Testing Tools
Developer: École de technologie
supérieure, University of Quebec
URL: http://ihe.etsmtl.ca/
Contact: Rita Noumeir
Licensing: Public Domain
Development Platform: Java
Delivery Method: Download test application /
HL7 v3 schemas and sample messages
Description: The École de technologie
supérieure has developed a set of tools focusing on the Cross-enterprise
Document Sharing for Imaging (XDS-I), Patient Identity Cross-reference (PIXv3)
and Patient Demographic Query (PDQv3) HL7 version 3 profiles.
Profiles and Constructs: Cross-enterprise Document
Sharing for Imaging (XDS-I), Patient Identity Cross-reference HL7 version 3
(PIXv3), Patient Demographic Query HL7 version 3 (PDQv3)
DICOMScope
Visualization Tools (MESA Tools for Consistent Presentation of Images)
Developer: O-Tech, Kuratorium OFFIS, e.
V. and the Institute for Microtherapy
URL: http://dicom.offis.de/dscope.php.en , Latest binary
package: ftp://dicom.offis.de/pub/dicom/offis/software/mesa_cpi/release_2004/
Contact: OFFIS DICOM discussion
forum [1]
Licensing: Free (BSD) with disclaimer:
Not for clinical use
Development Platform: Primarily Windows, but can
be compiled on Linux and Solaris as well.
Delivery Method: Download desktop application
(Windows installer)
Description: DICOMscope is a free DICOM
viewer which can display uncompressed, monochrome DICOM images from all
modalities and which supports monitor calibration according to DICOM part 14 as
well as presentation states. DICOMscope and the various DICOMscope support
tools can be used to test all CPI actors, both softcopy and hardcopy.
Profiles Tested: Consistent Presentation of
Images (CPI), also for Secure Node/Secure Application actors.
Portable
Data for Imaging Disk Validator
Developer: Northwestern University
URL: http://ihedoc.wustl.edu/mesasoftware/11.11.0/dist/index.htm
Contact: Pat Mongkolwat, Northwestern
University
Licensing: Public Domain
Development Platform: C#
Delivery Method: Download Windows installer
Description: IHE Portable Data for
Imaging (PDI) Media Creator test application is implemented based on the IHE
technical framework volume I chapter 15 and volume III Appendix E, revision 6.
The PDI media tester software is easy to use and provide sufficient information
of any IHE PDI compliance violations.
Profiles Tested: Portable Data for Imaging
(PDI)
IHE-RO
Test Tools
Developer: ICT Embedded BV, Eindhoven,
The Netherlands
URL: http://www.dvtk.org/modules/wiwimod/index.php?page=IHE+Downloads&cmenu=downloads
Contact:
Licensing: Public Domain
Development Platform: DICOM Validation Tool Kit
(DVTK)
Delivery Method: DVTK Definition
files/Reference Data/Test Cases
Description: The IHE-RO Test Tools are
based on the DVTK platform (www.DVTK.org) and developed under contract to ASTRO
by ICT Embedded, BV, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The first release of these
tools, supporting the IHE-RO Basic Integration Profile, was released in
January, 2008. Additional tools to support 2008 IHE-RO profiles are currently
in development.
Profiles and Constructs: IHE-RO Basic Integration
Profile
Laika
Developer: MITRE Corporation
URL: http://laika.sourceforge.net/
Contact:
Licensing: Apache 2.0
Development Platform:
Delivery Method: Web Service
Description:
Profiles and Constructs: HITSP C32, IHE XDS-MS
Test
Tools by Profile and Actor
The list of tools above gives you the location of the software and
a general description of the scope of the tools. For testing a specific IHE
profile, you may find it helpful to use these links.
IHE Tools by Profile lists each Integration Profile and provides links to the software
and documentation.
IHE Tools by Actor lists each IHE Actor with
links to the software and documentation.
In some cases you will find that two different software
implementations are used to test a single actor.