Expanding the field of view: A simple approach for interactive visualisation of electron microscopy data

The unparalleled resolving power of electron microscopy is both a blessing and a curse. At 30,000x magnification, 1 µm corresponds to 3 cm in the image and the field of view is only a few micrometres or less, resulting in an inevitable reduction in the spatial data available in an image. Consequently, the gain in resolution is at the cost of loss of the contextual “reference space”, which is crucial for understanding the embedded structures of interest. This problem is particularly pronounced in immuno-electron microscopy, where the detection of a gold particle is critical for the localisation of specific molecules. The common solution of presenting high-magnification and overview images side by side often insufficiently represents the cellular environment. To address these limitations, we propose here an interactive visualization strategy inspired by digital maps and GPS modules which enables seamless transitions between different magnifications by dynamically linking virtual low magnification overview images with primary high-resolution data. By enabling dynamic browsing, it offers the potential for a deeper understanding of cellular landscapes leading to more comprehensive analysis of the primary ultrastructural data.