About Biometrics	Back to Homepage
Biometrics are best defined as measurable physiological and / or behavioural characteristics that can be utilised to verify the identity of an individual. They include fingerprints, retinal and iris scanning, hand geometry, voice patterns, facial recognition and other techniques. They are of interest in any area where it is important to verify the true identity of an individual. Initially, these techniques were employed primarily in specialist high security applications, however we are now seeing their use and proposed use in a much broader range of public facing situations. Biometric Background How it all Started - It is tempting to think of biometrics as being sci-fi futuristic technology that we shall all be using together with solar powered cars, food pills and other fiendish devices some time in the near future. This popular image suggests that they are a product of the late twentieth century computer age. In fact, the basic principles of biometric verification were understood and practised somewhat earlier. Thousands of years earlier to be precise, as our friends in the Nile valley routinely employed biometric verification in a number of everyday business situations. There are many references to individuals being formally identified via unique physiological parameters such as scars, measured physical criteria or a combination of features such as complexion, eye colour, height and so on. This would often be the case in relation to transactions in the agricultural sector where grain and provisions would be supplied to a central repository and also with regard to legal proceedings of various descriptions. Of course, they didn't have automated electronic biometric readers and computer networks (as far as we know), and they certainly were not dealing with the numbers of individuals that we have to accommodate today, but the basic principles were similar. Later, in the nineteenth century there was a peak of interest as researchers into criminology attempted to relate physical features and characteristics with criminal tendencies. This resulted in a variety of measuring devices being produced and much data being collected. The results were not conclusive but the idea of measuring individual physical characteristics seemed to stick and the parallel development of fingerprinting became the international methodology among police forces for identity verification. The absolute uniqueness or otherwise of fingerprints is often debated, and the criteria that different countries employ to verify a fingerprint varies across the globe with a greater or lesser number of minutiae points required to be matched. Added to this is the question of personal interpretation which may be pertinent in border line cases. Never the less, this was the best methodology on offer and still the primary one for police forces, although the matching process is very often automated these days. With this background, it is hardly surprising that for many years a fascination with the possibility of using electronics and the power of microprocessors to automate identity verification had occupied the minds of individuals and organisations both in the military and commercial sectors. Various projects were initiated to look at the potential of biometrics and one of these eventually led to a large and rather ungainly hand geometry reader being produced. It wasn't pretty, but it worked and motivated it’s designers to further refine the concept. Eventually, a small specialist company was formed and a much smaller, and considerably enhanced hand geometry reader became one of the cornerstones of the early biometric industry. This device worked well and found favour in numerous biometric projects around the world. In parallel, other biometric methodologies such as fingerprint verification were being steadily improved and refined to the point where they would become reliable, easily deployed devices. In recent years, we have also seen much interest in iris scanning and facial recognition techniques which offer the potential of a non contact technology, although there are additional issues involved in this respect. The last decade has seen the biometric industry mature from a handful of specialist manufacturers struggling for sales, to a global industry shipping respectable numbers of devices and poised for significant growth as large scale applications start to unfold. Taken from: Fingersec
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