Perceived X-ray image quality for baggage screening

The quality of an image affects its utility for various analytic tasks. For security screening of baggage, the quality of the X-ray image will affect the ability of human operators to detect and identify relevant objects. This paper presents a recent protocol aimed at the development of a perception-based standard for assessing the quality of x-ray images of baggage. This standard provides a quantitative method for assessing x-ray image quality from the display, as presented to security officers. Furthermore, it provides a framework for understanding how different variables (belt speed, scanner orientation, degree of clutter in the image, ambient lighting, etc) affect the quality of images taken from X-Ray scanners at security checkpoints. The paper presents the protocol that was performed, summarizes the analysis and findings, and presents a method for employing the results to assess performance of a scanner system.