HARP FAQ

HARP Frequently Asked Questions

What is HARP?

HARP is a Matlab-based software developed and released by IACL at Johns Hopkins University to process tagged magnetic resonance images for motion analysis. Major applications by far include cardiac motion analysis and tongue motion analysis for biomedical imaging.

What is the major algorithm used in HARP?

The core of HARP is the Harmonic Phase Algorithm developed by Nael F. Osman and Jerry L. Prince in 1999. See HARP wikipedia page for more information.

How am I able to get started with HARP?

Please unpack the .zip package. Then refer to HARP-UserManual.pdf which contains detailed instructions for operating the software. Don't forget to add HARP's directory to your Matlab path!

Hint: For impatient users, run

>> HARP

in Matlab to get started immediately!

What software is needed to run HARP?

Current version of HARP is tested under Matlab R2011b, R2012a and R2012b (Mar 2013). Past versions of Matlab may cause compatibility issues. Please contact fxing1 AT jhu DOT edu for further assistance.

What data is supported by current version of HARP?

HARP supports DICOM or PAR/REC data for tagged MR images. Default tagged data processing method is either CSPAMM or MICSR.

HARP does not support grid-tagged data, the data must have horizontal and vertical tags, which are loaded as dynamic 1 and dynamic 2, respectively, within the software.

The manual also includes instructions about the layout of data.

Is there any test data that I can use?

We will release two test datasets soon.

There is a .cpp file in the program package. How to compile it within Matlab?

The .cpp file is for HARP refinement processing. HARP automatically compiles the file each time the main function is called. However, if the Matlab compiler is not set-up by default, errors may be returned. Please use

>> mex -setup

and follow Matlab's instructions to set up the compiler!