The International Commission on Illumination (usually abbreviated CIE for its French name, Commission internationale de l'éclairage) is the international authority on

light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...

, illumination,

colour Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...

, and colour spaces. It was established in 1913 as a successor to the Commission Internationale de Photométrie, which was founded in 1900, and is today based in

Vienna, Austria en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Organization

The CIE has six active divisions, each of which establishes technical committees to carry out its program: * Division 1: Vision and Colour * Division 2: Physical Measurement of Light and Radiation * Division 3: Interior Environment and Lighting Design * Division 4: Transportation and Exterior Applications * Division 6: Photobiology and Photochemistry * Division 8: Image Technology Two divisions are no longer active: * Division 5: Exterior Lighting and Other Applications * Division 7: General Aspects of Lighting The President of the CIE from 2019 is Dr Peter Blattner from Switzerland. CIE publishes Technical Reports (TRs), International Standards (ISs) and Technical Notes (TNs). International Standards (ISs) are often further developed as dual standards with the

ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

IEC The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC; in French: ''Commission électrotechnique internationale'') is an international standards organization that prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic and r ...

Milestones

* In 1924 it established the standard photopic observer defined by the spectral luminous efficiency function ''V''(''λ''), followed in 1951 by the standard scotopic observer defined by the function ''V''’(''λ''). * 3D Chromaticity Diagram LUV

Building on the

Optical Society of America Optica (formerly known as The Optical Society (OSA) and before that as the Optical Society of America) is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals and organizes conference ...

's report on

colorimetry Colorimetry is "the science and technology used to quantify and describe physically the human color perception". It is similar to spectrophotometry, but is distinguished by its interest in reducing spectra to the physical correlates of color ...

in 1922, The report defined colour as follows: "Color is the general name for all sensations arising from the activity of the retina of the eye and its attached nervous mechanisms, this activity being, in nearly every case in the normal individual, a specific response to radiant energy of certain wave-lengths and intensities." the CIE convened its eighth session in 1931, with the intention of establishing an international agreement on colorimetric specifications and updating the OSA's 1922 recommendations based on the developments during the past decade. The meeting, held in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, concluded with the formalization of the CIE 1931 XYZ color space and definitions of the 1931 CIE 2° standard observer with the corresponding color matching functions, and

standard illuminant A standard illuminant is a theoretical source of visible light with a spectral power distribution that is published. Standard illuminants provide a basis for comparing images or colors recorded under different lighting. CIE illuminants The Inter ...

s A, B, and C. * In 1964 the 10° CIE standard observer and its corresponding color matching functions as well as the new standard daylight

illuminant A standard illuminant is a theoretical source of visible light with a spectral power distribution that is published. Standard illuminants provide a basis for comparing images or colors recorded under different lighting. CIE illuminants The Inter ...

D6500 were added, as well as a method for calculating daylight illuminants at

correlated color temperature Color temperature is the color of light emitted by an idealized opaque, non-reflective body at a particular temperature measured in kelvins. The color temperature scale is used to categorize the color of light emitted by other light sources ...

s other than 6500

kelvin The kelvin, symbol K, is the primary unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), used alongside its prefixed forms and the degree Celsius. It is named after the Belfast-born and University of Glasgow-based engineer and phys ...

s. * In 1976, the commission developed the

CIELAB The CIELAB color space, also referred to as ''L*a*b*'' , is a color space defined by the International Commission on Illumination (abbreviated CIE) in 1976. (Referring to CIELAB as "Lab" without asterisks should be avoided to prevent confusion ...

and CIELUV color spaces, which are widely used today. * Based on CIELAB, color difference formulas CIEDE94 and CIEDE2000 were recommended in the corresponding years.

References

External links

CIE Web site

Inter-Society Color Council
{{authority control Lighting organizations Color organizations Members of the International Council for Science Organisations based in Vienna Scientific organisations based in Austria Standards organisations in Austria Vision Members of the International Science Council

Organization

Milestones

See also

References

External links