As its name implies, the International Commission on Illumination - abbreviated as CIE from its French title Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage - is an organization devoted to international cooperation and exchange of information among its member countries on all matters relating to the science and art of lighting. The CIE is an autonomous organization. It was not appointed by any other organization, political or otherwise, but has grown out of the interests of individuals working in illumination. Since its inception, the CIE has been accepted as representing the best authority on the subject and as such is recognized by the ISO as an international standardization body.
The CIE is a technical, scientific and cultural non-profit organization whose objectives are:
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.