In a world where technologies such as fingerprint scanners and facial recognition devices evolve on a seemingly regular basis, the Information Access Division (IAD) provides standards and measurements to accelerate this evolution. IAD not only helps complex technologies grow but also tests them to ensure they are used correctly and efficiently.
IAD supports technologies used to access potentially complex information from multimedia devices or biometric devices, such as digital video recording systems or iris scanners. Through collaborations with industry, academia, and the federal government, IAD enables the advancement of these technologies for commercial usage.
The Multimodal Information Group focuses on measurement and evaluation methods to facilitate the use of technologies that provide easier access to multimedia and multilingual information and improve human-computer interface modalities.
The Retrieval Group facilitates retrieval research involving large, unstructured text files by providing test collections and organizing the Text REtrieval Conference (TREC) and its proceedings. The group focuses mainly on collections to support specific information retrieval sub-tasks, such as cross-language retrieval and multimedia retrieval.
The Image Group focuses on developing standards, measurement methods, and best practice guidelines for biometric technologies. The Group promotes accuracy and interoperability by working closely with other government agencies, law enforcement, industry, and academia to support needs in the biometrics community.
Visualization and Usability Group
The public safety community is undergoing a transition in communication capabilities. The Visualization and Usability Group works to develop a high-speed backbone, the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN), to enable law enforcement officers, firefighters, and paramedics to send data, images, video, and location information in realtime.