Imaging informatics, also known as radiology informatics or medical imaging informatics, is a subspecialty of biomedical informatics that aims to improve the efficiency, accuracy, usability and reliability of medical imaging services within the healthcare enterprise. It is devoted to the study of how information about and contained within medical images is retrieved, analyzed, enhanced, and exchanged throughout the medical enterprise.

As radiology is an inherently data-intensive and technology-driven specialty, those in this branch of medicine have become leaders in Imaging Informatics. However, with the proliferation of digitized images across the practice of medicine to include fields such as cardiology, ophthalmology, dermatology, surgery, gastroenterology, obstetrics, gynecology and pathology, the advances in Imaging Informatics are also being tested and applied in other areas of medicine. Various industry players and vendors involved with medical imaging, along with IT experts and other biomedical informatics professionals, are contributing and getting involved in this expanding field.

Imaging informatics exists at the intersection of several broad fields:

Due to the diversity of the industry players and broad professional fields involved with Imaging Informatics, there grew a demand for new standards and protocols. These include DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine), Health Level 7 (HL7), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and Artificial Intelligence protocols.

Current research surrounding Imaging Informatics has a focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). These new technologies are being used to develop automation methods, disease classification, advanced visualization techniques, and improvements in diagnostic accuracy. However, AI and ML integration faces several challenges with data management and security.

While the field of imaging informatics is based around the power of modern computing, its roots trace back to the dawn of the 20th century. On November 8, 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen observed a new imaging technique he coined "X-rays" during his experiments. This discovery led to the creation of the medical imaging field, and in turn launched a new wave of human innovation.

X-rays stood as the only medical imaging technology for several decades following its discovery. However, the arrival of the mid 20th century meant the expansion of the medical imaging field. The new modalities included: computed tomography (CT) to visualize soft tissue with a high degree of resolution; Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) which is a modern standard for soft tissue imaging; Ultrasound that uses sound waves to create less expensive visualizations; Nuclear Imaging and Hybrid Scanners for functional imaging and imaging with higher spatial resolution created by combining multiple modalities.

As these imaging techniques became more sophisticated, the amount of information that medical imaging professionals were expected to process also increased. Additionally, the digital revolution of the mid to late 20th century further increased the data these techniques could gather. As a result, the main limiting factor for the medical imaging field became the human inability to accurately interpret large amounts of data. Thus, the need arose for computerized assistance with complex digital imaging analysis, storage and manipulation. Modern Imaging Informatics was developed to fulfill these needs.