Image quality assessment system

Contracting authority is publishing direct award notice for 'Image quality assessment system'.

BACKGROUND INFO The Centre for Immersive Visual Technologies (“CIVIT”) is a research infrastructure unit at Tampere University (“TAU”). CIVIT provides research facilities and expertise in the sectors of visual content creation and representation of visual data, advanced displays, spatial measurements and processing, and user experience. CIVIT has been granted funding from The Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland through Business Finland and the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) for expanding its service portfolio. Part of this funding is allocated for procuring an image quality assessment system which allows CIVIT to offer new test and experimentation services to imaging companies, research communities and other organizations. CIVIT is well-prepared for the procurement and development of the related measurement services. The personnel affiliated with CIVIT have in-depth understanding of different imaging technologies and earlier experience in collaborating with various industrial and academic partners. The procurement contributes to the development of imaging as one of the strongest profiling areas of TAU. The state-of-the-art image quality assessment system will be the first of its kind at TAU and can also be utilized in teaching signal processing and other disciplines related to imaging. The new equipment will be located in the B wing of Tietotalo building (Hervanta campus, in city of Tampere) until summer 2025, at which point a permanent laboratory space in the A wing of Sähkötalo building is estimated to be ready. NEED The need is to identify and procure an image quality assessment system that can be used to measure a wide range of camera/sensor products. These products include smartphones, body cameras, surveillance devices, and even automotive cameras. The hardware and software of the products need to be comprehensively characterized in terms of their resolution, dynamic range, light performance and other factors. For such testing, the selected image quality assessment solution must include test charts, powerful lights, a system for mounting the tested device, and related software solution for thorough data analysis. A turn-key solution is required where all the necessary components are delivered and installed by a single system provider. Furthermore, the chosen system provider must have a plan to offer support for emerging image quality assessment needs. These include a possibility to extend the system to enable the measurement of depth cameras and near-eye displays. MARKET ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION FOR DIRECT AWARD University conducted a market survey during which camera testing and image quality assessment equipment suppliers all over the world were extensively researched. We communicated in depth with the identified companies to understand how well their products align with the needs specified above. As a result of our thorough analysis, DXOMARK Image Labs S.A.S. (hereinafter ‘DXOMARK’) stands out as the winner. DXOMARK met the system specification requirements (i.e., suitable charts, lights, mounting system and software) and can deliver a turn-key solution which includes all the required components. In addition, DXOMARK is actively developing depth camera measurement capabilities and plans to introduce new test charts for this in the near future. DXOMARK has several years of experience in display testing and has a related testing protocol commercially available. DXOMARK has done research on near-eye displays of XR devices, and plans to start developing a new testing protocol this year. Furthermore, DXOMARK has not only a user-friendly system, but also a strong industry reputation and satisfaction which makes it well positioned to attract users for the new measurement service and meet their needs. Considering the rapid development of imaging technology and the needs of future research, finding a system provider with strong research and development capability is crucial to ensure active support and long lifetime for the procurement. DXOMARK’s research covers camera, display, audio, and battery testing. DXOMARK clearly has the greatest potential to meet CIVIT’s future expansion needs. Finally, DXOMARK is open to collaborating on developing the test protocols they are working on and exploring other joint activities. This will help CIVIT to stay up to date on industrial developments which also benefits the students and researchers at TAU. In summary, DXOMARK is uniquely positioned to offer a versatile image quality testing solution and provide support for extending the solutions’ capabilities in the future.