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Growing demand for biometric ID
systems hastens efforts to field
product standards
Despite several early, meaningful attempts at standardization, biometric technology has been stalled in adolescence longer than expected. And now the homeland security movement is both helping and hindering the technology's progress.
Biometric tools use complex algorithms to assign quantitative measurements to human traits, such as fingerprints, voice qualities or facial structures.
Since Sept. 11, pressure to improve security at all levels of government is swelling the demand for biometrics.
"The need for biometrics in general was understood even before the events of September," said Fernando Podio, a team leader at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and co-chairman of the Biometric Consortium. "But homeland security and the need for applications to prevent identification theft have accelerated that need."
As the industry races to keep pace with this new surge in demand, many experts agree that it is under equal pressure to jump-start its efforts to create biometric standards and ensure interoperability.
Yet, given the sense of urgency behind homeland security efforts, government officials are eager to harvest the benefits of biometric technology as quickly as possible - and are not willing to wait for further standards development.
"Nothing is going to grind to a halt" while the private sector hunts for ways to improve interoperability, said Rosanne Hynes, information technology adviser to the Defense Department's Homeland Security Task Force. "We will be cooperating across the federal family for common opportunities and common solutions, but our attention is on homeland defense."
And there is plenty to work with because initiatives to establish biometric standards for modern technology date to the 1980s.
"At this point, there is at least enough in the way of standards to give customers `warm fuzzies' on product integration," said M. Paul Collier, executive director of the Biometric Foundation.
Growing Demand
Standards recently pushed to the forefront...