The Department of Homeland Security has kicked off a challenge for the data science community to help optimize algorithms used by the Transportation Security Administration to check passenger body scans for potential threats, GCN reported Friday.DHS teamed up with Google-owned company Kaggle on the Passenger Screening Algorithm Challenge, which seeks algorithms that can automatically identify concealed items as passengers walk through scanners, the report stated.
Participants will be given access to a set of images of volunteers that were collected using the High Definition-Advanced Imaging Technology screening system.
Challengers must predict the presence of threats under various objects, clothing and body types.
The challenge offers a total of $1.5 million in prizes to eight winners, including $500,000 for the first place winner.
The final submission deadline is on Dec. 15.
