JasPer is a project to create a reference implementation of the codec specified in the JPEG-2000 Part-1 standard, (ie. ISO/IEC 15444-1). The project was started by Image Power, Inc. and the University of British Columbia. It consists of a C library and some sample applications useful for testing the codec.

Jasper, a form of chalcedony, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color. Blue is rare. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for snuff boxes. When the colors are in stripes or bands, it is called striped or banded jasper. Jaspilite is a banded iron formation rock that often has distinctive bands of jasper. Jasper is basically chert which owes its red color to iron(III) inclusions. The specific gravity of jasper is typically 2.5 to 2.9. The jasper is also a stone in the Jewish High Priest's breastplate, described in Exodus 28.