The document discusses the CIE L*a*b* color space, which provides a way to numerically specify and communicate colors. It originated from Hunter's Lab color space model from the 1940s and was updated by CIE in 1976 as CIELAB. L* represents lightness on a black to white scale, while a* and b* represent the color's position between red/green and yellow/blue. Positive a* values indicate more red and positive b* values indicate more yellow. The document uses examples to illustrate how L*a*b* values correspond to specific colors.