TRAIT 2016 Application

Application to Participate in the

Text Recognition Algorithm Independent Test (TRAIT) 2016

1. Who	Should	Participate	

1.1. Computer vision technology researchers and developers from industry, research institutions, and academia

are	eligible	to participate in	the Text Recognition Algorithm Independent Test 2016 – hereafter referred	to	as

the “TRAIT 2016”.

1.2. Anonymous participation	is not permitted.

2. How	to	Participate

2.1. To request participation	in	the TRAIT 2016,	potential	Participants must read this application (Application	to	

Participate in the TRAIT 2016), sign the “Request	to Participate” section below, attach business cards from each

of the signing parties, and	send	it to	the address below (Paragraph 5.8). Signatures of	both the Responsible

Party and the	Point of Contact are	required.

2.1.1. The Responsible Party is an individual with the authority to commit the organization to the

terms in this document.

2.1.2. The Point of Contact (POC) is an individual with detailed knowledge of	the technology applying

for	participation.

2.1.3. In	some	cases,	the	Responsible	Party	and	the	POC	may	be	the	same	person.

2.2. Upon receipt of the signed application by the National Institute of Standards and	Technology (NIST), the

organization will be classified as	a “Tentative Evaluation Participant.” NIST	must receive	this signed application

with the algorithm prototypes. Algorithm prototypes shall be submitted	as Software	Development Kit(s) (SDK).	

They may be submitted during the submission	period	from December 1,	2015 to October 31,	2016. The

application is required	to	be submitted	with	the first SDK	submission; subsequent submissions	do not require

additional applications.

2.3. It is	the	Government’s	desire	to	select	all	Tentative	Participants	as	Participants.	However, if	demand	for

participation	exceeds the Government’s ability to	properly evaluate the technology, the Government will select

Participants on a	first come	- first	served basis.

2.4. The	TRAIT 2016	will evaluate detection	and	recognition	of unconstrained	text in	still images.

2.5. More information regarding the instructions, input and output formats, and technical specifications for	each

of the above tasks is included	in	the TRAIT 2016:	Concept,	Evaluation	Plan,	and	API available	at

http://www.nist.gov/itl/iad/ig/trait-2016.cfm.	

2.6. SDKs	submitted must be compliant with the TRAIT 2016 protocol and must be	delivered to NIST	(at	the

address in paragraph 5.8 below) during the submission	period	given	in	paragraph	2.2 according to the technical

specifications	given in the TRAIT 2016:	Concept,	Evaluation	Plan,	and	API. These require use of strong

encryption.

3. Points	of	Contact

3.1. The TRAIT 2016 Liaison is	the	government	point	of	contact.		

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TRAIT 2016 Application

3.2. All questions and correspondence	should be	directed to the	TRAIT	2016 Liaison at trait2016@nist.gov.	

Questions and correspondence	will	be	received	by	the TRAIT 2016 Liaison and other TRAIT 2016 personnel.

3.3. The	answers to questions and correspondence will be provided	as updates to	the TRAIT 2016:	Concept,	

Evaluation	Plan, and	API.

3.4. Interested parties and Participants should not contact any individual member of the TRAIT 2016 staff.

4. Release of TRAIT2016 Results

4.1. Interim	results	will	be	provided	to	Participants as a	series of test report cards as described in the TRAIT

2016:	Concept,	Evaluation	Plan,	and	API. These results will not identify Participants; instead results will be	

associated with random identifiers. The report cards may be provided to Government personnel.

4.2. The Government will release TRAIT 2016 results in Final Report(s),	which	will	identify all Participants along

with all of their	results. The TRAIT 2016 Final Report(s) will contain, at a minimum, descriptive information

concerning the TRAIT 2016,	descriptions	of	each	experiment,	and	performance	results.

4.3.	Participants will	be notified of the public release of the TRAIT 2016 Report(s).	

4.4.	After the release of the TRAIT 2016 Final Report(s),	Participants may decide	to use	the	results for their own

purposes. Such	results shall be accompanied	by the following	statement: “Results shown	from the Text

Recognition	Algorithm Independent Test (TRAIT) 2016 do	not constitute endorsement of any particular product

by the U.S. Government.” Such results shall	also be accompanied by the Internet address (URL) of the TRAIT	

2016 Final	Report(s) on	the TRAIT	2016 website.

5. Additional Information

5.1. NIST will use the Participants SDK software only for the agreed-upon	Evaluation,	and in	the	event	errors	are

subsequently found, to rerun prior tests	and resolve those errors. NIST agrees not	to use the Participants

software for purposes	other than indicated above, without express	permission by the Participant.

5.2. This is a Software	Development Kit (SDK) test. The algorithms will be run	only on	NIST machines by NIST

employees.

5.3.	Performance results will	be publicly attributed to Participants and their SDKs	in the TRAIT	2016 Final

Reports.

5.4.	Software that is not compliant with the TRAIT	2016 protocol specifications cannot	be tested.

5.5.	In	order to	be tested, SDKs	must install easily (i.e., one installation	step	with	no	Participant interaction

required), and shall be executable on any number	of	machines without	requiring any machine-specific	license

control procedures	or activation.

5.6.	Participant agrees to hold harmless the TRAIT	2016 Sponsors, staff, contractors	and all agencies	of the U.S.

Government for any harm or damage incurred in the course of participating in the TRAIT	2016.	

5.7.	The Government is not bound or obligated to follow	any	recommendations	that	may	be	submitted by the

Participant. The	United States Government and individual	agencies	are	prohibited	from, in	any	way, giving	any	

special consideration to TRAIT	2016 Participants or any other party on future	procurements, contracts	or

collaborations.

5.8.	By signing this	application,	Participants	acknowledge	that they understand and agree to the provisions of

this form and the technical specifications in the TRAIT	2016:	Concept,	Evaluation	Plan,	and	API.

5.9.	Original	signed copies of the	TRAIT	2016 application are	required. Original, signed	copies	of	this application,

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TRAIT 2016 Application

with business cards from both signing parties attached, must be mailed to the address below. These must be

signed paper hardcopies. Scanned documents	submitted via	email are	not acceptable. Please	send an email

message to trait2016@nist.gov stating that you have sent your application. NIST will not accept applications

from generic email addresses (e.g. gmail.com, hotmail.com, etc.). Upon receipt of your application, we will send

you a confirmation email message.

Mailing Address:

TRAIT	2016 Liaison

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Information	Access	Division	(894)

100	Bureau Drive, Stop 8940	

Gaithersburg, MD	 20899-8940	

Participants	should	complete	the	box	below	per	the	instructions	for	transmission	of	encrypted

content	to	NIST as	defined	in	the TRAIT 2016:	Concept, Evaluation Plan, and API document	and	

available at	http://www.nist.gov/itl/iad/ig/encrypt.cfm. If preferred, participants can fax their public

key to the TRAIT 2016 Liaison at	301-975-5287.

Participant's public-key	

fingerprint	(enter	here)

NIST's public-key	fingerprint 6318 4005 DB67 B917 C7F0 112E 9CD3 72EE 8267 9341 

		

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_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

TRAIT 2016 Application

Request to Participate

With my signature, I hereby request consideration as a	Participant in the	Text Recognition Algorithm

Independent	Test	(TRAIT)	2016,	and I	am	authorizing	my	company	or	organization	to	participate according

to the rules and limitations listed in this document.

With my signature, I also state that I have the authority to accept the terms stated in this document.

______________________________________________________	 ______________

SIGNATURE, TITLE	AND ORGANIZATION OF	RESPONSIBLE	PARTY DATE

PRINTED NAME	AND EMAIL ADDRESS	OF	RESPONSIBLE	PARTY

______________________________________________________	 ______________

SIGNATURE, TITLE	AND ORGANIZATION OF	POINT	OF	CONTACT DATE

PRINTED NAME	AND EMAIL ADDRESS	OF	POINT	OF	CONTACT

______________________________________________________	

ATTACH BUSINESS CARDS HERE FOR ALL SIGNING PARTIES

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