As part of an Interagency Agreement between NIST and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), PML's Radiation Physics Division recently completed a series of image quality measurements of a high-energy x-ray vehicle-screening system at a newly constructed port-of-entry near El Paso, TX.
In their study, researchers compared the performance of two image quality standards - ANSI N42.46 and IEC 62523* - for cargo and vehicle screening systems. The purpose of the work was to provide feedback on the practical use of the two standards and recommend possible improvements, with a goal towards harmonization.
Key findings from the image quality tests were summarized in an interagency report to DHS. Recommendations included a design change to objects used in the IEC test, the addition of a material discrimination test method for the ANSI standard, and a provision to include blind testing to improve the objectivity in both standards.
*These standards are recommendations by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
