Sentence:  Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus....A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that. Developed <WSD>as</WSD> a tool to electronically combine the sharpest bits of multiple digital images, focus stacking is a boon to biologists seeking full focus on a micron scale. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  In the manner or role (specified).