The past, present, and future of the brain imaging data structure (BIDS)

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Data Science
• Scientific Standardization

Background:

• Neuroscience research generates complex, multi-modal data.
• Lack of standardized data organization hinders data sharing and reproducibility.
• The Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) emerged to address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a historical account of the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) development.
• To outline the core principles and extension mechanisms of BIDS.
• To share lessons learned from BIDS for other research domains.

Main Methods:

• Historical review of BIDS evolution.
• Analysis of BIDS extension principles and challenges.
• Discussion of transferable lessons from the BIDS project.

Main Results:

• BIDS has evolved into a comprehensive, community-driven standard for neuroscience data.
• Established principles facilitate BIDS' extensibility across diverse modalities.
• Ongoing challenges include community engagement and adaptation to new data types.

Conclusions:

• BIDS serves as a successful model for data standardization in scientific research.
• The project's history offers valuable insights for developing similar standards in other fields.
• Continued community involvement is crucial for BIDS' future growth and impact.