Biometrics Masterclass [Part 2]: Technology in action

Over the past decade the biometrics industry has matured into a sector that can offer real world solutions to security and identification problems faced by corporate customers and government agencies.

  The manufacture of biometric devices and software solutions has provided us with a reliable means to ensure the protection of assets, ensure privacy, confirm identity and guard against unauthorised access. The growth of this sector has now provided the marketplace with a solution to improve security on a number of levels, and provide users with the ability to implement identity verification processes.

One of the key questions with regards to the biometrics market, is how fast is the technology being adopted and what technologies are being used for very diverse applications. As ever with the advent of a new technology sector, we are faced with a cyclic process of adoption and acceptance of the technology before we roll-out into the general public arena.

However, it is assured that the advantages offered by the use of biometric technology provide a sound business case for implementation, and the manufacture of biometric devices by leading organisations will provide a basis to integrate the technology into commonly used devices.

For example, a device such as a mobile phone, although containing some basic security measures to prevent theft and misuse, could facilitate the integration of a biometric to improve security and offer the user the ability to authenticate remote transactions securely.

We can see that the biometrics market is now maturing and can offer companies a new avenue of business in the security arena. To quantify the market size and scope, the chart in Fig 1 identifies the current and expected revenues for the biometric market place over the next five years. Fig 2 outlines the current market share of biometric technologies.

As the biometric market expands we can expect the expansion of systems integrators and manufacturers to increase to offer solutions to diverse market sectors and implement biometric solutions in a host of applications.

However to get an idea of a total biometric solution, let us take a look at a specific market and how a biometric solution was used to provide assistance to an existing process, and what benefits were derived by both the user and the customer.

Solutions at Work: Simplified Passenger Transport
Also known as "trusted traveller" applications, simplified passenger travel applications are a critical strategy in improving today's flying experi-ence because biometrics provide the certainty of knowing a passenger's identity. Also, airlines can grant privileges that make their travel experience more convenient from beginning to end.

For example, passengers can enjoy "fast lane" security lines, frequent flyer benefits, rapid airport check-in, boarding passes, point of sale ticketing kiosks and even things such as streamlined baggage control and duty-free shopping.

The result is happier, less hassled passengers and more productive airport employees because they can spend their time focused on the smaller number of "unknowns" and allow the "knowns" to pass through more quickly.

In an era where air travel has become less convenient, more stressful, and more time consuming, simplified passenger travel solutions are giving airlines a real competitive advantage while giving passengers the feeling of increased security, coupled with convenience.

Biometrics at Schipol Airport
Improving border security as well as passenger convenience was the main objectives of the Schipol Airport Privium program launched at Amsterdam's Schipol Airport in October 2001. The cornerstone of the system is secure and convenient use of biometrics recognition technologies to facilitate an existing security process. The Privium scheme is both a service concept and loyalty tool for frequent travellers, developed by the Schipol Group, Joh. Enschede Security Systems and CMG.

Enrolled passengers who wish to enter or exit the Netherlands are fast tracked into a separate immigration line, where customised kiosks accept their Privium smart card. The passenger glances briefly into an iris-enabled video camera so that a one-to-one verification can be conducted between their "live" IrisCode® and the one on the smart card.

The Privium automated border passage system conducts the same thorough checks at the turnstile as if the person were standing in front of an immigration officer. The biometric is used to authenticate the passenger's identity. Upon approval by the system, the individual is given rapid admission into or out of the country.

Due to privacy laws, the Netherlands required a solution that would not have to rely on a central database. As a result, the Privium program was designed with a Schlumberger smart card – passengers who enrol in the system have their biometric and passport data stored on the smart card's chip.

Privium is an opt-in program to citizens of 18 European countries. Besides fast track admission to the Netherlands, Privium provides a number of other privileges, including premium parking and airport lounge access.

Today, several thousand European Union (EU) passengers entering or exiting the Netherlands are using Priviums each day, and the program is considered a huge success. Passengers have enjoyed bypassing the lengthy and time-consuming immigration and border control lines. At the same time, border control officials can now concentrate manual passport examinations on unknown travellers, rather than "knowns" whose background checks reveal no security concerns. In the first three months of the program alone, over 30,000 transactions took place without any reported inaccuracies.

Keeping an eye on the border
Every year, 1.5 million Muslim visitors arrive in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj season of worship. To ensure that departing travellers are exactly who they say they are, as well as identify potential security threats, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior recently implemented a biometric solution.

Before selecting the biometric technology, the ministry conducted a comprehensive test comparing biometric solutions. A total of 20,000 pilgrims passing through Passport Control at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jidda, Saudi Arabia were randomly selected to participate in the trial.

Each of the selected pilgrims was enrolled on the system upon entering the country. The pilgrim was then provided with a sticker that contained a unique number that was tied to their unique biometric. Upon exiting the country, each pilgrim was asked to present the sticker and had his or her iris identified to verify that the person entering the country two weeks earlier was the same person exiting.

Of the 20,000 selected pilgrims (all processed within two weeks), only a small number of false rejects were experienced (which were subsequently corrected) and no false matches were identified. The Saudi Arabian systems integrator BioID, a licensee of Iridian Technologies' core technology, implemented an iris recognition border crossing system for this trial.

Saudi Arabia has since issued a request to install a large scale biometric test for 500,000 citizens.

Looking to the future
As the demand for accurate, scalable and cost effective authentication solutions continues to increase, more organisations are turning toward the use of biometrics to improve how they associate the individual.

By using biometric technologies and implementing diverse solutions, companies or government agencies can now be assured of who is accessing a physical location, sensitive information or applications, and they can use this identification process to offer a host of security benefits or allow the individual to provide self-assured control of their own identity.

Biometric technologies can be used for many applications from small single user systems to fully integrated mass user solutions.

The diversity of this technology allows the integrator to offer a host of solutions that giving both increased security and streamlined process control as well as providing manageability and scalability to the user.

Although biometric technology may seem complicated, the implementation of this technology is fairly simplistic. In the next issue we will take a look at the process of developing an implementation strategy for a biometric system, and consider the operational requirements and technical considerations required prior to installation of a working system.

As discussed, biometrics technologies can offer solutions for large scale systems, but also the same benefits can be derived for small applications. However, it is crucial that prior to installation of a working biometric solution the operational requirements are developed to provide a good understanding of the process required. From this understanding we can then identify the biometric that best fits the application.