New international standards support biometrics

May 23, 2006 3:35 PM

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) recently published two highly anticipated standards to promote interoperability among biometrics technologies.

The standards include biometric applications such as signature, fingerprint, and eye recognition systems. The new International Standards are largely based on U.S. submissions of relevant standards and documents.

"ISO/IEC 19784-1:2006, Information Technology - Biometric Application Programming Interface - Part 1: BioAPI Specification" defines a function that allows software applications to operate with one or more biometric technologies. The standard makes use of a high-level authentication model suited to an array of biometric technologies, enabling biometric system components from different vendors to interoperate. Covering the enrollment, verification and identification of basic biometric functions, the standard also includes a function that enables applications to store and manage biometric records.

"ISO/IEC 19785-1:2006, Information Technology - Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework - Part 1: Data Element Specification" defines a three-part structure for biometric records within the Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework (CBEFF) -- a file format that promotes interoperability among different applications and systems. The standard establishes a means by which organizations can specify format requirements for biometric information records. Part two of ISO/IEC 19785, "Procedures for the Operation of the Biometric Registration Authority," specifies requirements for assigning unique identifier values to biometric organizations, formats, and products.

Visit www.iso.org or www.iec.ch for more information.

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