Icescopy is a desktop application for ice assay image data. It supports droplet arrays, multiwell plates, and other image-based freezing assays by combining image annotation, sample metadata, grayscale timeseries review, freeze-event detection, and temperature-linked freeze count export in one workspace.
Icescopy is currently used and tested by multiple university research groups, with support continuing to expand across different ice assay workflows.
If you have a temperature file format or instrument workflow that is not yet supported, please open a GitHub issue or contact me. I am happy to help incorporate additional formats into Icescopy.
If you use Icescopy in your work, please cite it as:
Chen, B. (2026). Icescopy (Version 2.0.0) [Computer software]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19673845
Icescopy is designed for flexible ice assay workflows where every droplet or well needs to stay traceable from raw image review through final result export. It does not assume one fixed plate layout or one fixed experiment style: users can annotate the assay geometry that appears in their images, attach sample information, and review the resulting freeze counts and timeseries inside the same workspace.
Use single-cell and grid tools to mark droplets, wells, or other assay locations directly on the image data. For each annotated location, Icescopy lets you view the grayscale timeseries and inspect the frozen frame result from its robust grayscale-based freeze finding algorithm. Visible location numbers keep manual review, freezing calls, and exported results tied to the same physical locations.
Image assay data often needs cleanup before freezing events can be reviewed reliably. Icescopy can adjust exposure and contrast, crop the field of view, and apply uniform exposure normalization so brightness is matched across frames before grayscale-based analysis.
Import a standard temperature timeseries file, use instrument-specific importers, or customize how image timestamps should be matched to temperature records. Icescopy can apply water blank correction and can also help correct or double-check an instrument's real-time frozen counts against image-derived freeze calls.
After annotation, use the sample catalog to enter sample names, collection information, sample type, dilution, volumes, and related metadata. Icescopy then keeps that metadata beside the image-derived measurements so freeze count timeseries, result tables, and exports remain connected to the samples they came from.
