"The research proposal focuses on the coding and transmission of massive images, i.e. those images acquired by sensors able to capture data with more than 3 dimensions. Such multi-dimensional images are currently available in the medical environment, including functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in 4D (3D spatial + 1D temporal), and also in Remote Sensing scenarios, e.g. through Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Sensor (AIRS), which continuously captures ultra-spectral images of the Earth’s surface producing ultra-spectral video (2D spatial + 1D spectral + 1D temporal). With the ever increasing number of sensors acquiring massive images in airplanes, satellites, and medical centres, there is an urgent need in institutions and centres to properly deal with such data. There are few studies tackling the coding and proper manipulation of such massive data sets. Nevertheless, Prof. Michael W. Marcellin (Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, USA) and the Group on Interactive Coding of Images (GICI, Dept. of Information and Communications Engineering, Universitat Autònoma Barcelona, Spain) have established themselves as pioneers in this nascent field. The core of the proposed project will be built upon the ISO standard JPEG2000; Prof. Marcellin was one of its key developers, and many applications thereof. We hereby propose to host Prof. Marcellin with GICI during 18 months to create the ideal team for research on the coding and transmission of massive images. The study will be undertaken on digital medical images granted by Parc Tauli Health Corporation (Sabadell, Spain), and on remote sensing images granted by Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (Bellaterra, Spain), ensuring the relevance and applicability of the proposal. The project is expected to have a truly global impact and influence, helping to raise European excellence and competitiveness, and is devised as a first step towards long term collaboration."