AXZ viewer: a web application to visualize unprocessed AFM-IR data.

Abstract

Motivation: Atomic Force Microscopy-based Infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR) is a novel and innovative method for label-free high-resolution structural biology. However, the nature of the data files generated by AFM-IR instruments precludes investigation by conventional open-source scientific image analysis software suites. As a result, reporting of AFM-IR datasets is not standardized and the data itself is difficult to audit.

Results: We have developed a web application that allows anyone to open, review, and audit raw AFM-IR data files easily and without deep knowledge of the method. It also exposes all metadata recorded by the microscope at the time of measurement. The web application is based on a Python package that supports custom data analyses within the scientific Python ecosystem. This tool provides an accessible, transparent solution for AFM-IR data review, with the potential to support reproducibility and standardization in AFM-IR research and encourage wider adoption of this innovative spectroscopy method.

Availability and implementation: The web app is hosted at https://anasys-python-tools-gui.streamlit.app. Its source code is listed at https://github.com/wduverger/anasys-python-tools-gui. The underlying Python package is available at https://github.com/GeorgRamer/anasys-python-tools and can be installed using pip.