Proposal: drop ITKAnalyzeObjectMap remote module from ITK

Engineering
1

The ITK maintainers are proposing to drop the AnalyzeObjectLabelMap
remote module from the ITK source tree. PR #6207 removes the Modules/Remote/AnalyzeObjectLabelMap.remote.cmake declaration so
the module will no longer be reachable via -DModule_AnalyzeObjectLabelMap:BOOL=ON. The upstream repository InsightSoftwareConsortium/ITKAnalyzeObjectMap
will be flipped to archived (read-only) after the PR merges; the historical sources remain accessible for anyone who needs them.

This is part of the broader remote-module consolidation tracked in issue #6160.

Why drop it instead of ingesting

Unlike most other remote modules being ingested into ITK proper , AnalyzeObjectLabelMap does not appear to have an active user community:

  • The Analyze Object Map .obj format is a legacy format from the
    late-1990s / early-2000s era of Mayo Clinic’s Analyze software.
  • ITKAnalyzeObjectMap is essentially the only open-source
    reader/writer     for the format. None of Slicer, SPM, FreeSurfer,
    FSL, or AFNI support it.
  • The small residual user base of Analyze software (AnalyzeDirect, the
    commercial successor) works inside that environment and is unlikely
    to need ITK’s reader. It is unclear if the commercial product still supports this legacy format.
  • The remote module has been kept on life support — CI builds pass,
    it was updated for ITK 5.x API changes — but it has zero stars on
    GitHub, no releases, and the underlying format has been superseded.

Recommended migration for any remaining users

If you have legacy Analyze Object Map data that you still need to use in modern pipelines, the recommended path is a one-time conversion to NIfTI label maps using the current version of ITKAnalyzeObjectMap (or a small custom script using the upstream itk::AnalyzeObjectMap
class) and then store the converted NIfTI files for ongoing work.
NIfTI label maps are well-supported across the open-source imaging ecosystem and through ITK’s first-class NIfTI I/O.

Looking for input

Before this PR is merged, we’d like to confirm we’re not stranding
anyone:

  • Are you currently using Module_AnalyzeObjectLabelMap in a build,
    pipeline, or downstream package?
  • Would archiving the upstream repository (read-only, fully
    preserved) cause a problem for your workflow?
  • Do you have legacy Analyze .obj data that still needs active
    read/write support in ITK rather than a one-time conversion?

If any of these apply, please reply or comment on
PR #6207 within the next week. Absent any objections, the PR will land
and the upstream repository will be archived after that.

Related links

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