The International Commission on Illumination – also known as the CIE from its French title, the Commission Internationale de l´Eclairage – is devoted to worldwide cooperation and the exchange of information on all matters relating to the science and art of light and lighting, colour and vision, photobiology and image technology.

With strong technical, scientific and cultural foundations, the CIE is an independent, non-profit organization that serves member countries on a voluntary basis. Since its inception in 1913, the CIE has become a professional organization and has been accepted as representing the best authority on the subject and as such is recognized by ISO as an international standardization body.

CIE’s Objectives

The CIE is a technical, scientific and cultural non-profit organization whose objectives are:

1. To provide an international forum for the discussion of all matters relating to the science, technology and art in the fields of light and lighting and for the interchange of information in these fields between countries.
2. To develop basic standards and procedures of metrology in the fields of light and lighting.
3. To provide guidance in the application of principles and procedures in the development of international and national standards in the fields of light and lighting.
4. To prepare and publish standards, reports and other publications concerned with all matters relating to science, technology and art in the fields of light and lighting.
5. To maintain liaison and technical interaction with other international organizations concerned with matters related to the science, technology, standardization and art in the fields of light and lighting.

It is important to note that in these objectives light and lighting embraces such fundamental subjects as vision, photometry and colorimetry, involving natural and man-made radiations over the UV, the visible and IR regions of the spectrum, and application subjects covering all usage of light, indoors and out, including environmental and aesthetic effects, as well as means for the production and control of light and radiation.

From 1999 onwards also the optical, visual and metrological aspects of the communication, processing and reproduction of images, using all types of analogous and digital imaging devices, storage media and imaging media are covered by CIE.

Official website: www.cie.co.at