sklearn/datasets/descr/olivetti_faces.rst
.. _olivetti_faces_dataset:
This dataset contains a set of face images_ taken between April 1992 and
April 1994 at AT&T Laboratories Cambridge. The
:func:sklearn.datasets.fetch_olivetti_faces function is the data
fetching / caching function that downloads the data
archive from AT&T.
.. _This dataset contains a set of face images: https://cam-orl.co.uk/facedatabase.html
As described on the original website:
There are ten different images of each of 40 distinct subjects. For some
subjects, the images were taken at different times, varying the lighting,
facial expressions (open / closed eyes, smiling / not smiling) and facial
details (glasses / no glasses). All the images were taken against a dark
homogeneous background with the subjects in an upright, frontal position
(with tolerance for some side movement).
Data Set Characteristics:
================= ===================== Classes 40 Samples total 400 Dimensionality 4096 Features real, between 0 and 1 ================= =====================
The image is quantized to 256 grey levels and stored as unsigned 8-bit integers; the loader will convert these to floating point values on the interval [0, 1], which are easier to work with for many algorithms.
The "target" for this database is an integer from 0 to 39 indicating the identity of the person pictured; however, with only 10 examples per class, this relatively small dataset is more interesting from an unsupervised or semi-supervised perspective.
The original dataset consisted of 92 x 112, while the version available here consists of 64x64 images.
When using these images, please give credit to AT&T Laboratories Cambridge.