Since 1998, IBG’s independent testing has generated detailed false match, false non-match, and failure to enroll rates for leading biometric systems, including finger-scan, facial-scan, iris-scan, voice-scan, signature-scan and hand-scan technologies.

In Round Four, systems from the following companies are being tested:

• finger-scan: Bioscrypt, Digital Persona, Fujitsu, Siemens, Identix, ST Microelectronics, Indivos, and Ultra-Scan;
• hand-scan: Recognition Systems;
• voice-scan: Nuance; and
• iris-scan: Iridian.

IBG will develop a framework for evaluating in a range of large-scale, mission-critical air travel applications, including smart card-based Trusted Travel, access control and surveillance. The Group’s responsibilities will include:

• assessing issues involved in the development and implementation of an infrastructure for U.S. air travel, proposing alternatives and solutions to address performance, scalability and process flows;
• gathering complex requirements for multiple applications designed to provide transactional authentication and 1:N identification for millions of individuals;
• assessing the role of smart cards in a Trusted Travel framework, highlighting risks involved in biometric interoperability and standards; and
• delivering a feasibility study based on its Project Evaluation Framework to provide detailed recommendations and pilot guidance based on knowledge of core technology, biometric process flows, integration with existing systems and real-world performance.

The testing emulates real-world operational conditions as closely as possible. IBG testing uses commercially available systems, normalizing enrollment and verification effort levels across technologies to ensure that test results can be compared across competing systems.