A few words on bits & bytes: a tutorial on image and spectral processing for the novice

Abstract

We are now in a position, in the world of microscopy and microanalysis, to record all of our data digitally and often, the first time that the data is printed out is when it is submitted for publication, although there are distinct possibilities that we shall soon be publishing electronically too. Digital image acquisition schemes are largely the realm of the microscope manufacturers, however, there are also a multitude of “homemade” acquisition systems in microscope laboratories around the world. Such a wide variety of systems leads to a wide variety of data storage formats. For example, a any one time there have been at least 6 manufacturers of X-ray Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (XEDS) systems, each with their own proprietary data format, which, frequently, was not explained to the user. The philosophy was: “Our system is all you will ever need, so you don't need to know how the data is stored”.