2008 Optical/IR Imaging Beauty Contest

Prior Contests 2004 | 2006 | 2008

This is a call for submissions to the 2008 Opt/IR Imaging Beauty Contest being run by the IAU Commission 54 working group on image reconstruction. The results of this contest will be announced at the SPIE meeting in Marseilles, France June 2008 and published in the proceedings of that meeting. The contest consists of imaging data sets for two targets, a simulated AGB star and a simulated AGN in each H, J and K band. Expressions of intent by Email should be sent by 5 Dec. 2007 and the final submissions by 26 April 2008.

The contest data is available here, a description of the data is available here.

Information about the 2006 contest is available here.

Guidelines for 2008 contest

A submission will consist of a derived image for each of the test data sets with the auxiliary information described below. Each submission must include for each derived image a simple FITS image with the following descriptive information provided either in the FITS image header or separately:

Pixel separation and orientation as well as any rotation and/or skew.
Description of the resolution of the image including any convolution.

Each of the submitted images should also include a discussion of which features should be considered real. An optional visual representation of the image (contour, gray-scale, etc.) may also be provided but the entry will be judged on the FITS image.

Each submission should also include a brief description of the software and the technique applied and a discussion of its advantages.

Judging will use the following procedure. A quality measure for each image will be determined from a comparison with the model used to derive the test data. Before comparison, each model image will be convolved to a representative resolution of the data set used and re-gridded in an appropriate grid. Each entry image will then be subjected to the following:

The image will be convolved to the effective resolution of the model image. This uses the effective resolution in the entry.
The image will be aligned with the model using features in the image.
The image will be re-gridded onto the same grid as the model image. This uses the geometrical description provided with the image.
The image pixel values will be normalized to the model image using the sum of the pixel values in a box containing ~90% of the model flux density.
Subtract normalized model from the normalized entry and multiply by 1.0e6.
The quality measure of each entry image is the RMS about zero of the the difference image evaluated inside the normalization box.
Each entry is given a score equal to the sum of the quality measures of the images.
The entry with the lowest score is the winner.

The results of the contest will be announced at the SPIE meeting in Marseilles, France June 2008. An expression of intent to submit an entry must be sent to the organizers (bcotton

nrao.edu) by 24 UT on 5 December 2007 in order that the abstract submitted to the meeting will include all entries. Final submissions are due by 24 UT 26 April 2008.

Maintained by Peter Lawson
MS 301-451, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109

Webmaster: Peter R. Lawson