Part I: Digital Dermatopathology Playbook: Technical Infrastructure for Transition From Glass to Digital

Part I of our three-part series outlines the essential technical and operational components required for successful digital pathology implementation including hardware, software, and IT infrastructure. It reviews the rationale for digitization, highlighting improvements in workflow efficiency, diagnostic collaboration, and preparedness for computational applications. Key components of Whole Slide Imaging (WSI) systems are discussed, including practical considerations for scanner selection, scanning modalities, and performance trade-offs relevant to dermatopathology. The article also examines image compression strategies and pyramid image representation, with attention to balancing image quality and storage efficiency. Finally, we review DICOM standards and storage infrastructure options, including cloud, on-premises, and hybrid models, and associated network bandwidth requirements.