(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- 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, Texas.

In their study, researchers compared the performance of two image quality standards, ANSI N42.26 and IEC 62523, for cargo and vehicle screening systems. These standards are recommendations by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). 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 the 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.

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