Technologies: Biometrics / FAQ
What is biometrics?
Biometrics is a general term used alternatively to describe a characteristic or a process.
- As a characteristic: a biometric is a measurable biological (anatomical and physiological) and behavioral characteristic that can be used for automated recognition.
- As a process: a biometric is an automated method of recognizing an individual based on measurable biological (anatomical and physiological) and behavioral characteristics.
What are common biometrics?
Biometrics commonly implemented or studied include face, fingerprints, iris, voice, signature and hand geometry. Other modalities are in various stages of development.
What are the components of a biometric system?
A typical biometric system is comprised of five integrated components:
- A sensor collects the data and converts it to a digital format.
- Signal processing algorithms perform quality control activities and develop the biometric template.
- A data storage component keeps information that new biometrics templates will be compared to.
- A matching algorithm compares the new biometric templates to data in storage
- A decision process (either automated or human-assisted) uses the results from the matching algorithm to make a system-level decision.
How are biometrics collected?
Biometrics are typically collected by a device called a sensor. These sensors are used to collect the data needed for recognition and to convert the data to a digital form. The quality of the sensor has a significant impact on the recognition results. Example ‘sensors’ could be digital cameras (for face recognition) and telephones (for voice recognition).
What is the difference between recognition, verification and identification?
- Recognition is a generic term, and does not imply verification or identification. All biometric systems perform “recognition” to “again know” individuals who have been previously enrolled.
- Verification is a task where the biometric system attempts to confirm the individual’s claimed identity by comparing a submitted sample to one or more previously enrolled templates.
- Identification is a task where the biometric system attempts to determine the identity of the individual. A biometric is collected and compared to all the templates within a database.
What are the common uses for biometrics?
Common examples of biometric use include controlling access to physical locations (e.g., buildings or laboratories) or logical information (e.g., personal computers, secure electronic documents). Biometrics can be used to determine if a person is already in a database.
AIM Global wishes to recognize the National Science & Technology Council’s (NSTC) Subcommittee on Biometrics for the contribution of this FAQ.