# Allen Brain Atlas API: Data Model

**URL:** <https://community.brain-map.org/t/allen-brain-atlas-api-data-model/2867>\
**Category:** Allen Brain Atlas API\
**Created:** [January 8, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://community.brain-map.org/t/allen-brain-atlas-api-data-model/2867 "2024-01-08T17:43:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SvenOtto](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/community.brain-map.org/svenotto/32/893_2.png) [@SvenOtto](https://community.brain-map.org/u/SvenOtto)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://community.brain-map.org/t/allen-brain-atlas-api-data-model/2867/1 "2024-01-08T17:43:47Z")

</div>

- [Key Models](https://community.brain-map.org/t/allen-brain-atlas-api-data-model/2867)
- [Images](https://community.brain-map.org/t/allen-brain-atlas-api-data-model/2867#images-2)

![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/uploads/brainobservatory/original/2X/f/f708f769cc5d4d2ef22402dcbbc13fce88877fc9.png) The data model includes entities from molecular biology, anatomic atlases, laboratory artifacts, experiments, and annotations. Refer to the [Class Hierarchy and Class List](http://api.brain-map.org/class_hierarchy) for the models’ details, including their members and associations. Use [RESTful Model Access (RMA)](https://community.brain-map.org/t/restful-model-access-rma/2866) to retrieve details for instances of the models.

## Key Models

| [Product](http://api.brain-map.org/doc/Product.html) | Allen Institute experimental study or reference data, provides context for the data |
| --- | --- |
| [Donor](http://api.brain-map.org/doc/Donor.html) | Mouse, Human or NHP donors |
| [Specimen](http://api.brain-map.org/doc/Specimen.html) | Tissue from the donor used in an experiment or for histology |
| [SectionDataSet](http://api.brain-map.org/doc/SectionDataSet.html) | Collection of images’ metadata for a gene expression experiment or histological purposes |
| [MicroarrayDataSet](http://api.brain-map.org/doc/MicroarrayDataSet.html) | Microarray experiments’ metadata |
| [AtlasDataSet](http://api.brain-map.org/doc/AtlasDataSet.html) | Collection of annotated reference atlas images’ metadata |
| [Structure](http://api.brain-map.org/doc/Structure.html) | Member of an anatomic structure ontology |
| [StereotaxicInjection](http://api.brain-map.org/doc/StereotaxicInjection.html) | Identifies the primary structure into which a viral tracer was introduced |
| [Gene](http://api.brain-map.org/doc/Gene.html) | Defined by an authority, associated with one or more probes used in experiments |
| [TransgenicLine](http://api.brain-map.org/doc/TransgenicLine.html) | Transgenic mouse line |
| [SectionImage](http://api.brain-map.org/doc/SectionImage.html) | Image that is a member of a SectionDataSet |
| [AtlasImage](http://api.brain-map.org/doc/AtlasImage.html) | Image that is a member of a AtlasDataSet |

## Images

Image-based experiments are modeled as SectionDataSets. One SectionDataSet represents a single experiment associated with a Specimen. A SectionDataSet has an ordered set of SectionImages, each representing one section.

Multiple experiments may be associated with one Specimen. Typically, the sectioning scheme divided the specimen into interleaving SectionDataSets with a specific sampling density. The SectionImage.section\_number attribute can be used to order SectionImages in the context of the whole Specimen.

The image data associated with a SectionImage object are stored in an internal hierarchical tile based format. Users can [download high resolution images](https://community.brain-map.org/t/downloading-an-image/2865) for every experiment. These images are typically large. The Image Service supports requests for specific regions of interest and/or lower image resolutions.

Depending on the scanning system, the original image file may contain one or more tissue sections. If there are several sections, a SectionImage is defined by a bounding box (attributes: x, y, width, height) on the image containing multiple sections. The SectionImage.resolution attribute reports the pixel dimension in microns at the full resolution.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Yang](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/community.brain-map.org/yang/32/1980_2.png) [@Yang](https://community.brain-map.org/u/Yang)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 4:19pm UTC](https://community.brain-map.org/t/allen-brain-atlas-api-data-model/2867/2 "2024-10-18T16:19:44Z")

</div>

Why atlas= 60263031(Adult mouse brain) can’t download using API?