The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is pleased to announce that it is conducting and managing the Iris Challenge Evaluation (ICE).

The Iris Challenge Evaluation (ICE)


The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is pleased to announce that it is conducting and managing the Iris Challenge Evaluation (ICE).

ICE is the first large-scale, open, independent technology evaluation for iris recognition. The primary goal of ICE is to promote the development and advancement of iris recognition technology and assess its state-of-the-art capability. ICE is open to academia, industry and research institutes.

The ICE is jointly sponsored by U.S. Government agencies interested in measuring the improvements in iris recognition technologies:

· Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

· Intelligence Technology Innovation Center (ITIC)

· National Institute of Justice (NIJ)

· National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

· Technical Support Working Group (TSWG)

· U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (DHS, TSA)

The ICE will be conducted in two phases:

· PHASE I will consist of an iris recognition challenge problem to be distributed to potential participants.

· A planned PHASE II will consist of a large-scale, open, independent technology evaluation of iris recognition technology. To guarantee an accurate assessment, ICE will measure performance with sequestered data (data not previously seen by the researchers or developers). A standard dataset and test methodology will be employed so that all participants are evenly evaluated.

The primary goal in ICE Phase I, the recognition technology development phase, is to promote and advance iris recognition technology that supports existing iris recognition efforts in the U.S. Government. The primary goal of ICE Phase II is to determine the state-of-the-art capability of automatic iris recognition technology and to establish a performance baseline against which to measure future progress. Results of this effort may provide design input for future evaluations.

The ICE Phase I will take place in the August 2005 – December 2005/January 2006 time-frame, and a planned Phase II is currently being considered for the first quarter, 2006 time-frame.

For further information on ICE, or to request to participate in ICE please visit The Iris Challenge Evaluation (ICE)  iris.nist.gov/ICE/.