The DICOM Standard facilitates interoperability of devices claiming conformance. In particular, it:
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Addresses the semantics of Commands and associated data. For devices to interact, there must be standards on how devices are expected to react to Commands and associated data, not just the information that is to be moved between devices.
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Addresses the semantics of file services, file formats and information directories necessary for off-line communication.
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Is explicit in defining the conformance requirements of implementations of the Standard. In particular, a conformance statement must specify enough information to determine the functions for which interoperability can be expected with another device claiming conformance.
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Is structured to accommodate the introduction of new services, thus facilitating support for future medical imaging applications.
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Makes use of existing international standards wherever applicable, and itself conforms to established documentation guidelines for international standards.
Figure 5-1 presents the general communication model of the Standard, which spans both network (on-line) and media storage interchange (off-line) communication. Applications may utilize any of the following transport mechanisms:
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the DICOM Message Service and Upper Layer Service, which provides independence from specific physical networking communication support and protocols such as TCP/IP.
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the DICOM Web Service API and HTTP Service, which allows use of common hypertext and associated protocols for transport of DICOM services.
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the Basic DICOM File Service, which provides access to Storage Media independently from specific media storage formats and file structures.
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DICOM Real-Time Communication, which provides real-time transport of DICOM metadata based on SMPTE and RTP.
