The Online Anatomical Human: Web-based Anatomy Education

Abstract

The Online Anatomical Human (OAH) is a web-based viewer for studying anatomy. It is based on real human anatomy and incorporates medical image data in linked 2D and 3D views that students can freely interact with. Our application is the only to support 2D and 3D views based on real medical imaging data. The main goal of this anatomical online resource is to serve as an educational platform available to anyone with access to a modern web browser. Users can annotate regions, add comments, and provide hyperlinks to additional media. By making our work accessible to medical experts, we can ensure an increasing amount of information, leading to an evergrowing gain in educational value. The OAH will be used in an upcoming Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to teach anatomy of the pelvis and will be made available to students worldwide via the web.