The PNM (an acronym derived from "Portable Any Map") format is an abstraction of the PBM, PGM and PPM formats. I.e. the name "PNM" refers collectively to PBM (binary images), PGM (grayscale images) and PPM (color image) image formats.
Image in PNM format can be found in different scientific databases and laboratories, for example Yale Face Database and AT&T Face Database.