Welcome to the Information Access Division (IAD)

We support technologies used in accessing unstructured, digital multimedia and other complex information, including text, web pages, images, video, voice, audio, and graphics (both 2-D and 3-D).

The technologies we support include:

• Search and retrieval techniques
• Information filtering techniques
• Methods for transforming speech, text, images, and video to representations that can be searched and filtered
• User interaction techniques, including multi-modal approaches, that provide access to information
• Visualization methods that provide access to information
• Standards that allow exchange of information
• Sensor data acquisition and management

We also support generic technologies relevant to information access, including:

• Speech processing and understanding
• Image and video recognition
• Natural language processing
• 3-D visualization

Mission Statement

"Our mission is to accelerate the development of technologies that allow intuitive, efficient access, manipulation, and exchange of complex information by facilitating the creation of measurement methods and standards."

We contribute to the advancement of these technologies, as well as enable faster transition into the commercial marketplace and into applications of our sponsors, through

• Performance metrics, evaluation methodologies, test suites and test data
• Prototypes and testbeds
• Workshops
• Standards and guidelines

We do this in collaboration with industry, academia, and government.