Step 1 Panel – Local Anonymization

The Step 1 panel is used to anonymize DICOM files and, where applicable, the associated clinical data locally in the user’s browser. No original DICOM files or original clinical data are uploaded during this step.

• Anonymization profile selector (Light-touch, Balanced – recommended, Max-safe), with a link to view the current rules in JSON format. The selected profile defines which DICOM tags and clinical data fields are retained, removed, generalized, or pseudonymized.
• Source DICOM folder picker. The selected folder may contain DICOM files in any internal folder structure. Patient, study, and series grouping is detected from DICOM metadata, not from the original folder names.
• Clinical data file picker, if applicable. The clinical file should follow the current ZODIAC clinical data template and should be provided in a supported spreadsheet format (.xlsx or .xls). It must include the required matching fields, including Patient_ID and Study_ID.
• Destination folder selector, which points to a local folder on the user’s computer where the anonymized output will be written.
• “Run Anonymization (DICOM + Clinical)” button, which starts the local anonymization process.
• Live progress bar and detailed status logs, showing the anonymization progress, processed files, skipped files, clinical data processing status, and generated local output information.
• Downloadable anonymization log (.txt) for local review and audit purposes.

When the user clicks “Run Anonymization”, the tool reads the selected DICOM files and clinical data locally in the browser, applies the selected profile’s rules, and writes the anonymized output to the chosen destination folder.

The anonymized DICOM files are saved in a standardized folder structure based on anonymized DICOM metadata:
PAT_<anon_patient_id>/STU_<anon_study_id>/SER_<anon_series_uid>/

If a clinical data file is provided, the shared identifiers Patient_ID and Study_ID are pseudonymized consistently with the corresponding DICOM metadata. The same Study_ID may be used for different patients, because matching is based on the combination of Patient_ID + Study_ID.

Local mapping or traceability files generated during anonymization remain under the control of the participating institute and must not be uploaded to the ZODIAC platform.