1. Purpose and Scope

This document describes the anonymization and upload process for medical imaging data (DICOM) and associated clinical data in the ZODIAC Pillar-4 platform.

The platform is designed to ensure that identifiable patient data is not transferred to or stored on the central platform. Anonymization is performed client-side in the uploader’s web browser before any selected data leaves the institute’s control. Only anonymized DICOM files and anonymized clinical metadata are uploaded to the ZODIAC platform.

The anonymization workflow supports flexible input folder structures. The source folder may contain DICOM files in any nested structure; patient, study, and series grouping is determined from DICOM metadata rather than from the original folder names.

Any local mapping or traceability files generated during anonymization remain under the responsibility and control of the participating institute and are not uploaded to the ZODIAC platform.

This guideline is intended for:

• Participating institutes preparing and uploading anonymized data
• IAEA platform administrators
• Data privacy and security reviewers

The guideline supports alignment with IAEA information security requirements (AM.IV/3), the principles of the DICOM PS3.15 Basic Application Level Confidentiality Profile, and GDPR Recital 26 considerations for anonymized data where re-identification is not reasonably possible.