feature: use NiiVue for displaying brain imaging data in the browser

[hanayik]

OSF is a fantastic platform for supporting open science. When visitors browse OSF projects they can preview some file formats directly in the browser without downloading them first (such as PNG images, PDFs, or PowerPoint files).

I'd like to suggest a feature that would enable visitors to view brain imaging data (.nii, .nii.gz file formats are the most popular used in research) in the browser without downloading.

Our open source NiiVue project supports more than 30 file formats used in brain imaging and works on all major browsers, and can run on any modern device that supports WebGL2 (mobile, tablet, desktop).

Recently, other major cloud storage and analysis platforms have adopted NiiVue (OpenNeuro, BrainLife). NiiVue is now the default brain imaging viewer used in OpenNeuro. An example implementation on that platform can be seen here.

I'd be happy to help support this feature if it is something the OSF team is interested in.

[daniel-Steger]

Thanks for contacting OSF! The Product team is always happy to hear feedback and feature requests from users. We keep track of these requests internally, so I will make note of this request. If/when the feature becomes available, we can provide you with an update.

Please don't hesitate to reach out in the future with feature requests or feedback about the OSF.