tilewise-ccl 0.0.2__tar.gz

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+ MIT License
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+
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+ Copyright (c) 2026 Bugra Oezdemir
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+
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+ Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
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+ of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
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+ in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
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+ to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
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+ copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
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+ furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
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+
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+ The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
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+ copies or substantial portions of the Software.
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+
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+ THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
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+ IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
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+ FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
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+ AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
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+ LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
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+ OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
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+ SOFTWARE.
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+ Metadata-Version: 2.4
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+ Name: tilewise-ccl
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+ Version: 0.0.2
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+ Summary: Fast tile-wise connected-components labeling of large N-D arrays, returning a lazy dask array
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+ Author-email: Bugra Oezdemir <bugraa.ozdemir@gmail.com>
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+ License: MIT
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+ Project-URL: Homepage, https://github.com/bugraoezdemir/tilewise-ccl
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+ Keywords: connected-components,labeling,segmentation,ndimage,out-of-core,memory-bounded,chunked-array,image-processing,bioimage,microscopy
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+ Classifier: Development Status :: 3 - Alpha
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+ Classifier: Intended Audience :: Science/Research
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+ Classifier: Intended Audience :: Developers
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+ Classifier: License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License
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+ Classifier: Operating System :: OS Independent
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+ Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3
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+ Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11
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+ Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12
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+ Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13
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+ Classifier: Topic :: Scientific/Engineering
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+ Classifier: Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Bio-Informatics
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+ Classifier: Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Image Processing
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+ Classifier: Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Visualization
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+ Classifier: Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules
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+ Classifier: Topic :: System :: Distributed Computing
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+ Requires-Python: >=3.11
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+ Description-Content-Type: text/markdown
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+ License-File: LICENSE
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+ Requires-Dist: numpy>=1.20.0
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+ Requires-Dist: scipy>=1.6.0
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+ Requires-Dist: dask
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+ Provides-Extra: dyna
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+ Requires-Dist: dyna-zarr>=0.0.5; extra == "dyna"
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+ Provides-Extra: cc3d
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+ Requires-Dist: connected-components-3d; extra == "cc3d"
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+ Provides-Extra: all
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+ Requires-Dist: dyna-zarr>=0.0.5; extra == "all"
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+ Requires-Dist: connected-components-3d; extra == "all"
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+ Provides-Extra: dev
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+ Requires-Dist: pytest>=7.0; extra == "dev"
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+ Requires-Dist: zarr>=3.0.0; extra == "dev"
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+ Dynamic: license-file
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+
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+ # tilewise-ccl
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+
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+ Fast tile-wise **connected-components labeling** for large N-dimensional arrays,
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+ returning a lazy array of labels.
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+
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+ `tilewise_ccl.label_array` takes any large N-D binary mask (NumPy, Zarr, or Dask
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+ backed) and returns a **lazy dask array** of connected-component labels, computed
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+ with a tile-local labeling pass plus a small global boundary-piece graph. It is:
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+
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+ - **Fast**: only the pieces that touch a tile border are reconciled, on a small graph, so the
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+ cost stays low even as the number of tiles grows.
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+ - **N-dimensional**: 2D, 3D, or higher; connectivity is configurable.
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+ - **Storage- and domain-agnostic**: no OME-Zarr / image-format dependency; just
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+ NumPy + SciPy + Dask.
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+ - **Dask-optional**: the `dyna` backend (see [Backends](#backends)) runs the whole
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+ thing through [dyna-zarr](https://github.com/bugraoezdemir/dyna_zarr)'s pull model
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+ instead - no task graph, and it fuses a preceding threshold into each tile read.
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+ - **Memory-bounded**: peak memory scales with `(tile size) × (concurrency)`, not
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+ with the array size, so it labels arrays far larger than RAM.
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+ - **Composable**: the result is a genuine lazy dask array, so it plugs straight
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+ into other dask operations, such as `da.unique`, slicing, arithmetic, `.to_zarr(...)`, region-property
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+ computation, etc.
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+
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+ Labels are **dense integers `1..N`** (background `0`), `int32` when `N < 2**31`
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+ (essentially always) else `int64`.
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+
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+ ---
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+
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+ ## Installation
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ pip install tilewise-ccl
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+ # or, from a checkout:
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+ pip install -e .
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+ ```
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+
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+ Requires Python ≥ 3.11 and `numpy`, `scipy`, `dask`.
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+
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+ Optional extras, each needed only by the feature that names it:
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ pip install "tilewise-ccl[dyna]" # backend="dyna": pull-model tile reads, no dask graph
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+ pip install "tilewise-ccl[cc3d]" # labeler="cc3d": a faster per-tile CCL kernel (3-D)
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+ pip install "tilewise-ccl[all]" # both
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+ ```
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+
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+ Each is imported lazily at the point of use, so a plain install stays light and
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+ only raises - naming the extra - if you reach for that feature without it.
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+
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+ ---
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+
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+ ## Quick start
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+
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+ `label_array` expects a **binary mask** (anything truthy is foreground). Threshold
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+ your data first, then label:
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+
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+ ```python
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+ import numpy as np
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+ from tilewise_ccl import label_array
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+
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+ # any N-D array; truthy = foreground
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+ image = np.random.default_rng(0).integers(0, 100, size=(512, 512), dtype=np.uint8)
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+ mask = image > 80
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+
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+ labels = label_array(mask, tile_shape=(256, 256), connectivity=2)
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+
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+ labels # lazy dask.array.Array, dtype int32, shape (512, 512)
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+ result = labels.compute() # materialize to a NumPy array of labels 1..N
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+
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+ # opt in to diagnostics (object/graph counts, timings) -> returns a tuple
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+ labels, diag = label_array(mask, tile_shape=(256, 256), connectivity=2, diagnostics=True)
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+ print(diag["n_final_objects"])
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+ ```
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+
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+ ### On a Dask array (e.g. a large Zarr / OME-Zarr level)
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+
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+ The input can be lazy. `label_array` reads it tile by tile, so nothing needs to
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+ fit in memory at once. Note the labeling is *not* forced until you compute or
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+ write the result.
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+
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+ ```python
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+ import dask.array as da
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+ from tilewise_ccl import label_array
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+
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+ # read one array directly from a zarr store (no OME-Zarr machinery needed)
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+ arr = da.from_zarr("dataset.zarr/0") # e.g. a huge 3D volume, uint8/uint16
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+ mask = arr > 128 # lazy boolean mask
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+
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+ labels = label_array(mask, tile_shape=(384, 384, 384), connectivity=2, n_workers=8)
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+
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+ # the result is lazy. Stream it straight to disk (each chunk written once)
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+ labels.to_zarr("labels.zarr", overwrite=True)
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+ ```
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+
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+ ### The same, without dask (the `dyna` backend)
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+
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+ The identical job through [dyna-zarr](https://github.com/bugraoezdemir/dyna_zarr)'s
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+ pull model - no task graph anywhere. Install the `[dyna]` extra. Labels are
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+ byte-identical to the dask path; only the execution differs. See
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+ [Backends](#backends) for what changes and why.
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+
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+ ```python
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+ from dyna_zarr.io import io as dio
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+ from tilewise_ccl import label_array
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+
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+ # read one array directly from a zarr store, exactly as above
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+ arr = dio.read("dataset.zarr/0") # a DynamicArray, not a dask array
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+ mask = arr > 128 # lazy - and FUSED into each tile read
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+
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+ # backend is inferred from the mask type - a DynamicArray selects the dyna path
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+ labels = label_array(mask, tile_shape=(384, 384, 384), connectivity=2, n_workers=8)
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+
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+ # the result is a lazy DynamicArray - write it with dyna-zarr's writer, which
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+ # picks up the tile grid automatically (see the note below).
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+ dio.write(labels, "labels.zarr", chunks=(96, 96, 96),
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+ max_workers=8, overwrite=True)
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+ ```
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+
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+ Two differences worth noting against the dask version above:
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+
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+ - **The threshold costs nothing extra.** `arr > 128` is never materialized - each
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+ tile applies the comparison as it is pulled, so there is no intermediate mask
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+ array on disk and no per-tile scheduler overhead.
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+ - **The writer follows the tile grid on its own.** `label_array` records its
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+ `tile_shape` on the returned array, and `dio.write` reads it, so the write
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+ regions line up with the tiles and each tile is read and labeled exactly once.
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+ You do not have to restate the tiling. (`chunks` is separate and can stay small
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+ for fast downstream reads.)
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+
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+ ### Downstream composability
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+
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+ The labeling is lazy, and so is everything you build on it. A useful consequence:
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+ `properties=True` gives you every object's size and bounding box as **metadata**,
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+ without a pass over the data - so you can find an object of interest and then
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+ read back only the box it occupies.
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+
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+ ```python
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+ import numpy as np
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+
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+ labels, diag = label_array(mask, tile_shape=(128, 128, 128), connectivity=2,
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+ n_workers=8, properties=True)
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+
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+ # area / bbox come from the per-tile pass - no extra read of the array
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+ i = int(np.argmax(diag["area"])) # the largest object
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+ lbl = int(diag["label_values"][i])
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+ lo, hi = diag["bbox_start"][i], diag["bbox_stop"][i]
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+
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+ # read back ONLY that object's bounding box (.compute() works on both backends)
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+ crop = labels[tuple(slice(int(a), int(b)) for a, b in zip(lo, hi))].compute()
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+ obj = crop == lbl # the object itself, isolated
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+ ```
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+
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+ Only the box is ever materialized. The rest of the array is never touched.
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+
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+ The same laziness applies to ordinary array work:
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+
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+ ```python
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+ import dask.array as da
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+
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+ # count objects an independent way (excludes background 0)
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+ n_objects = int(np.count_nonzero(da.unique(labels).compute()))
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+
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+ # match the storage chunking before writing (cheap when tile_shape is a
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+ # multiple of the target chunk, e.g. 384 = 4 * 96)
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+ labels.rechunk((96, 96, 96)).to_zarr("labels.zarr", overwrite=True)
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+ ```
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+
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+ ---
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+
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+ ## API
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+
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+ ### `label_array(mask, tile_shape=None, connectivity=2, n_workers=1, diagnostics=False, properties=False, verbose=False, backend="auto", executor="thread", labeler="scipy")`
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+
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+ Label connected components of a binary N-D mask into a lazy dask array.
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+
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+ **Returns:**
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+
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+ - **By default** (`diagnostics=False`): just `output_labels`, a lazy array of
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+ dense labels `1..N` (background `0`), same shape as `mask`. dtype is `int32`
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+ when `N < 2**31`, else `int64`. It is a `dask.array.Array` with the default
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+ `backend="dask"`, and a `dyna_zarr` `DynamicArray` with `backend="dyna"`.
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+ - **With `diagnostics=True`**: a tuple `(output_labels, diag)`, where `diag` is a
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+ `dict` of object/graph counts and timings (see below).
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+
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+ ```python
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+ labels = label_array(mask) # -> dask.array.Array
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+ labels, diag = label_array(mask, diagnostics=True) # -> (dask.array.Array, dict)
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+ ```
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+
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+ #### Parameters
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+
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+ | Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
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+ |---|---|---|---|
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+ | `mask` | `np.ndarray` \| `dask.array.Array` \| `zarr.Array` | *required* | N-D array; truthy elements are foreground. Read tile by tile, so it may be far larger than RAM. |
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+ | `tile_shape` | sequence of int | `None` | Size of each processing tile, **one entry per dimension** (its length must equal `mask.ndim`). `None` derives one from the mask: a ~256 MiB working set over the trailing 3 (spatial) axes, snapped to whole storage chunks when the mask exposes `.chunks`, leading (t/c-like) axes left at 1. This is an *execution hyperparameter* and does not change the result. See [Choosing `tile_shape`](#choosing-tile_shape). |
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+ | `connectivity` | int | `2` | Passed to `scipy.ndimage.generate_binary_structure(ndim, connectivity)`. Higher = more diagonal neighbors are considered connected (see [Connectivity](#connectivity)). |
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+ | `n_workers` | int | `1` | If `> 1`, the eager metadata pass (Phase A) runs over tiles via a thread pool. Each tile touches only its own region, so this is safe. Phase B (the lazy graph) is scheduled by Dask when you compute/write the result. |
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+ | `diagnostics` | bool | `False` | If `True`, also return a `diag` dict (the function returns a `(labels, diag)` tuple instead of just `labels`). |
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+ | `properties` | bool | `False` | Also compute per-object `area` (voxel count) and `bbox_start`/`bbox_stop` (half-open global bounding box) into `diag` - implies returning the tuple. Aggregated from per-tile partials, so memory stays bounded by tile size no matter how large an object is. |
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+ | `backend` | `"auto"` \| `"dask"` \| `"dyna"` | `"auto"` | Execution backend. `"auto"` infers it from the mask type - a `DynamicArray` gets the dyna path, anything else gets dask - so you rarely pass this. See [Backends](#backends). |
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+ | `executor` | `"thread"` \| `"process"` | `"thread"` | Pool type for Phase A. Which one wins depends entirely on `backend` - see [Backends](#backends). |
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+ | `labeler` | `"scipy"` \| `"cc3d"` | `"scipy"` | Per-tile CCL kernel. `"cc3d"` (needs the `[cc3d]` extra, 3-D only) is ~2x faster per call but **holds the GIL**, so it only pays off with `executor="process"`. Both emit identical labels. |
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+ | `verbose` | bool | `False` | Print per-tile progress for Phase A (immediately) and Phase B (when the returned array is computed/written). |
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+
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+ > **Note.** `tile_shape` must have the same length as `mask.ndim`; a mismatch
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+ > raises `ValueError`.
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+
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+ #### `diag` fields (returned only when `diagnostics=True`)
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+
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+ | Key | Meaning |
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+ |---|---|
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+ | `n_tiles`, `grid_shape` | Number of tiles and the tile-grid shape. |
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+ | `n_final_objects` | Total number of connected components (== `N`). |
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+ | `n_interior_objects` | Objects fully contained in a single tile (resolved locally, never entered the graph). |
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+ | `n_boundary_pieces`, `n_edges`, `n_boundary_groups` | Size of the boundary-reconciliation graph: pieces touching a tile border, edges between them, and the resulting merged groups. |
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+ | `n_objects_single_tile` | Objects occupying exactly one tile (do **not** cross a tile border). |
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+ | `n_objects_crossing` | Objects that cross into ≥2 tiles. |
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+ | `n_objects_crossing_gt3_tiles` | Objects spanning >3 tiles (large objects). |
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+ | `max_tiles_spanned` | Maximum number of tiles any single object spans. |
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+ | `output_dtype` | dtype of `output_labels` (`"int32"` or `"int64"`). |
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+ | `time_phaseA_s`, `time_reconcile_s`, `time_total_s` | Eager-phase timings (seconds). Phase B's cost is incurred later, on compute/write. |
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+
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+ ---
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+
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+ ## Connectivity
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+
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+ `connectivity` selects the neighborhood via
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+ `scipy.ndimage.generate_binary_structure(ndim, connectivity)`. An offset counts
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+ as a neighbor iff its number of nonzero components is `≤ connectivity`:
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+
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+ | ndim | `connectivity=1` | `connectivity=2` | `connectivity=3` |
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+ |---|---|---|---|
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+ | 2D | 4-connected (faces) | 8-connected (+ corners) | n/a |
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+ | 3D | 6-connected (faces) | 18-connected (+ edges) | 26-connected (+ corners) |
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+
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+ Cross-tile connections (including diagonal corner/edge crossings between tiles)
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+ are handled correctly for every connectivity, so the label result is identical to
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+ a single whole-array `scipy.ndimage.label`, independent of `tile_shape`.
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+
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+ ---
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+
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+ ## Choosing `tile_shape`
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+
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+ `tile_shape` is a pure performance/parallelism knob and does **not** affect the
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+ result. Guidance:
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+
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+ - **Bigger tiles** → more objects fit entirely inside one tile → fewer boundary
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+ pieces → smaller reconciliation graph and less per-tile overhead. The cost is
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+ more memory per tile (one `scipy.ndimage.label` call on a haloed tile) and
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+ coarser parallelism.
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+ - **The default is usually fine.** With `tile_shape=None`, `label_array` targets a
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+ ~256 MiB int32 working set over the trailing three axes and snaps it to whole
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+ storage chunks, so the tile is always a chunk multiple and no chunk is read
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+ twice. On a 3-D array chunked at `96³` that lands on `384³`; on a 5-D
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+ `(t, c, z, y, x)` it tiles `z/y/x` only and leaves `t`/`c` at 1.
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+ - Override it when you have memory to spare. Peak RSS is roughly **2x the tile's
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+ int32 size, per worker** (measured), so a `512³` tile costs ~1 GiB per worker -
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+ 8 GiB at `n_workers=8`. Bigger tiles mean fewer boundary pieces and a smaller
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+ reconciliation graph, at that cost.
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+ - It is **decoupled from storage chunking**: `label_array` reads whatever tile
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+ size you ask for directly, regardless of how the data is chunked on disk, so
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+ there is no need to `rechunk` the input first. This keeps it efficient even on
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+ natively small-chunked data.
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+ - If you write the result with `.to_zarr`, keep the output chunk shape a divisor
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+ of `tile_shape` (e.g. tile `384`, chunks `96`) so the pre-write `rechunk` is a
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+ cheap sub-slice rather than a cross-block shuffle.
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+
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+ Peak memory is roughly `n_workers × (tile voxels) × (a few bytes)`. Set
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+ `tile_shape` and `n_workers` to fit your memory budget.
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+
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+ ---
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+
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+ ## How it works: interior–boundary reconciliation
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+
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+ `tilewise-ccl` is a **tile-wise** connected-components labeler: label each tile on its
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+ own, then merge the components that meet across tile borders. It adapts that
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+ classic idea with two moves that keep it fast and memory-bounded:
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+
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+ **1. Interior–boundary separation** shrinks what must be reconciled. A
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+ component touching none of its tile's borders is already a finished object and is
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+ set aside at once. Only components touching a border (the ones that might continue
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+ into a neighbour) are reconciled. So the global step is a small graph over
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+ **border pieces**, whose size tracks the tiles' seam area, not the object count,
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+ and stays flat as the number of tiles grows.
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+
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+ **2. Plan first, materialize once** defers ever touching the data. The first
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+ pass reads each tile but keeps only compact **metadata** (which pieces merge, plus
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+ a per-tile lookup table) and allocates **no output array**. The labels are a lazy
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+ dask graph that materializes exactly once, on `.compute()` / `.to_zarr(...)`,
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+ relabelling each block in a single pass. Peak memory scales with tile size ×
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+ concurrency (a handful of tiles), never the whole array, and **no voxel is written
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+ twice**.
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+
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+ In short: most objects sit inside a single tile and are finished there (cheap);
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+ only the few that straddle a **seam** between tiles ever need the reconciliation
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+ graph.
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+
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+ ### The two phases
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+
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+ ```mermaid
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+ flowchart TB
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+ T["Tile the N-D mask"] --> L
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+
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+ subgraph PA["① Phase A · per tile, in parallel · metadata only, no array built"]
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+ L["label a 1-voxel-haloed tile<br/>(scipy.ndimage.label)"] --> Q{"touches a<br/>tile border?"}
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+ Q -->|no| I["<b>interior</b> piece<br/>→ a finished object"]
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+ Q -->|yes| Bd["<b>boundary</b> piece<br/>→ cache its border slabs"]
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+ end
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+
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+ subgraph RC["② Reconcile · metadata only (the whole plan)"]
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+ Bd --> M["match facing border slabs<br/>of adjacent tiles → edges"]
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+ M --> U["union-find over<br/>boundary pieces"]
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+ end
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+
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+ I --> LUT["per-tile lookup table:<br/>local id → dense final id 1..N"]
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+ U --> LUT
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+ LUT --> PB["③ Phase B · lazy dask map_overlap<br/>relabel each block once + apply its LUT<br/>(runs only on .compute() / .to_zarr())"]
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+ ```
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+
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+ 1. **Phase A** (eager, one tile at a time, in parallel; metadata only). Read a
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+ 1-voxel-haloed tile and label it with `scipy.ndimage.label`. Split its
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+ components into **interior** (touch no border → finished) and **boundary**
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+ (touch a border → deferred, their border slabs cached). Only small per-tile
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+ metadata is kept (never voxel data), so memory is bounded by
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+ `tile size × n_workers` and the pass runs safely across a thread pool. **No
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+ output array is allocated.**
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+
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+ 2. **Reconcile** (metadata only). Compare the facing border slabs of adjacent
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+ tiles (faces, plus edge/corner diagonals for higher connectivity); where
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+ foreground meets foreground, link the two boundary pieces. A union-find over
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+ those pieces merges them into whole objects, and each tile gets a lookup table
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+ from its local ids to dense final ids `1..N`. This little plan is the *entire*
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+ global result.
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+
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+ 3. **Phase B** (lazy; materialize once). A `dask.array.map_overlap` relabels each
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+ block and applies that tile's lookup table, emitting final labels directly, **with no
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+ read-modify-write of an output buffer**. Nothing runs until you `.compute()` or
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+ `.to_zarr(...)`, and each chunk is produced exactly once.
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+
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+ Because most objects are interior, the reconciliation graph is pure metadata over
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+ border pieces, and the array is only ever built lazily, cost stays low even for
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+ pathological inputs: an object spanning hundreds of tiles still reconciles in well
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+ under a second.
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+
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+ ---
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+
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+ ## Backends
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+
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+ `backend` selects how tiles are READ and how Phase B is expressed. Both produce
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+ byte-identical labels - it is purely an execution choice.
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+
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+ ### `backend="auto"` (default)
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+
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+ Picks `"dyna"` when `mask` is a `dyna_zarr` `DynamicArray`, `"dask"` otherwise. The
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+ mask type already determines which path is viable - the dyna path accepts nothing
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+ else - so the backend is normally not worth stating. Pass it explicitly only to
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+ force the dask path for a `DynamicArray` mask (which works: each tile is
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+ materialized as it is pulled).
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+
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+ ### `backend="dask"`
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+
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+ `mask` may be a NumPy, Zarr, or Dask array. Phase B is a `da.map_blocks` over the
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+ mask, so the result is a genuine `dask.array.Array` that composes with the rest of
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+ dask (see [Downstream composability](#downstream-composability)).
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+
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+ ### `backend="dyna"`
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+
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+ Selected automatically when `mask` is a [dyna-zarr](https://github.com/bugraoezdemir/dyna_zarr)
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+ `DynamicArray` (install the `[dyna]` extra). Phase A pulls each tile directly
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+ through dyna's pull model, and Phase B is a native dyna `map_overlap` - **no dask
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+ graph anywhere**. Two things make this fast:
413
+
414
+ - A lazy threshold is **fused into the tile read**. `io.read(path) > 128` is not
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+ materialized; each tile applies the comparison as it is pulled, so there is no
416
+ separate mask array on disk and no scheduler overhead per tile.
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+ - Reads are memory-bounded by construction: a tile pull reads exactly the region
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+ asked for.
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+
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+ The returned array is a lazy `DynamicArray`, so write it with dyna-zarr's writer
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+ rather than `.to_zarr()` - see the [worked example above](#the-same-without-dask-the-dyna-backend).
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+
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+ Any `DynamicArray` works as the mask - however you obtained it, and with any
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+ chain of lazy dyna operations already applied.
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+
426
+ ### Picking `executor`
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+
428
+ `executor` only affects Phase A, and the right answer depends on the backend,
429
+ because the two differ in how much GIL-bound Python work a tile read costs.
430
+
431
+ Measured end to end on a 1024³ uint8 volume (1 GiB), 256³ tiles, 64³ output
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+ chunks, 8 workers, best of 2. **Both backends write the same zarr v3 array with
433
+ the same blosc/zstd-5/bitshuffle codec** and produce byte-identical output
434
+ (82.6 MiB on disk in every row). Phase B is the lazy half, timed by writing:
435
+
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+ | backend / executor | Phase A | Phase B (write) | total |
437
+ |---|---|---|---|
438
+ | `dask` / `thread` | 7.0 s | 12.8 s | 19.7 s |
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+ | `dask` / `process` | **5.1 s** | 12.7 s | 17.8 s |
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+ | `dyna` / `thread` | **2.8 s** | **8.2 s** | **11.0 s** |
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+ | `dyna` / `process` | 4.4 s | 8.1 s | 12.5 s |
442
+
443
+ Reading it:
444
+
445
+ - **Phase B dominates** - roughly 65-75% of the run. It is mostly I/O and
446
+ compression, and `executor` does not touch it.
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+ - Within Phase A the rule holds: `process` helps `dask` (1.4x, its read goes
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+ through dask's graph and zarr's Python-level chunk assembly, which is
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+ GIL-bound), while `thread` wins for `dyna` (1.6x, it pulls tiles directly, so
450
+ little GIL contention remains and per-tile pickling costs more than it saves).
451
+ - **The backend matters more than the executor.** `dyna`/`thread` is **1.8x** the
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+ `dask`/`thread` baseline overall, while switching executor moves the total by
453
+ ~10%. Choose the backend first.
454
+
455
+ One machine's numbers; the direction generalizes, the ratios may not.
456
+
457
+ The mask is shipped to each worker **once** via the pool initializer, and lazy
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+ masks (zarr / dask / dyna) pickle as small references, so no array data is copied.
459
+ Process pools fall back to threads automatically for an in-memory NumPy mask
460
+ (which *would* be copied per worker) and for grids too small to amortize start-up.
461
+
462
+ `labeler="cc3d"` follows the same logic: it is faster per call but holds the GIL,
463
+ so pair it with `executor="process"` or not at all.
464
+
465
+ ---
466
+
467
+ ## Also available
468
+
469
+ - `tilewise_ccl.label_array_legacy(mask, output_labels, ...)`: an earlier *eager*
470
+ implementation that writes into a pre-allocated output buffer (NumPy/Zarr)
471
+ instead of returning a lazy array. Kept for comparison/benchmarking; prefer
472
+ `label_array` for new code.