Standards

Recognizing that the development of standards is crucial to the mass adoption of biometrics, L-1 Identity Solutions actively participates in standards initiatives at both national and international levels:

  • Served as technical editor and co-editor for national and international versions of face recognition data interchange format, respectively.
  • Contributed to and support national and international versions of minutiae- and image-based fingerprint data interchange format standards.
  • Voting member of International Committee on Information Technology Standards M1 (biometrics section of national organization that produces technical standards for the American National Standards Institute).
  • Technical expert on the US delegation to the JTC1/International Standards Organization SC37 (special committee on biometrics).
  • Collaborating with ICAO representatives in travel document standards setting activities.
  • Actively shaping standards via work in task groups for smart cards, tech interfaces, data interchange formats and application profiles. Attend all meetings relative to standards applicable to core technology and products.
  • Technical expert on the US delegation to the International Standards Organization JTC1 SC17 WG3 (Identification Cards and Personal Identification / Machine Readable Travel Documents).

In addition, L-1 Identity Solutions currently complies and is in the process of complying with the following standards and specifications:

  • INCITS M1 and ISO SC37 Minutiae-Based Fingerprint Data Interchange Format:
    Facilitates interoperability and efficiency in terms of storage for minutiae-based fingerprint templates. Final, published standard at national level (ANSI/INCITS 378-2004, Information Technology: Finger Minutiae Format for Data Interchange). Final Committee Draft at international level.
  • INCITS M1 and ISO SC37 Face Recognition Data Interchange Format:
    Ensures that enrolled images will meet a quality standard needed for both automated face recognition and human inspection of facial images; facilitates the use of face information in applications that have limited storage (e.g. passports, visas, driver’s licenses, etc.) and allows interoperability among facial recognition vendors. Final, published standard at national level (ANSI/INCITS 385-2004, Information Technology: Face Recognition Format for Data Interchange). Final Committee Draft at international level.
  • BioAPI: ANSI/INCITS 358-2002:
    Defines a method for a biometric software applications to interface with underlying biometric services and technologies. Open-system, consensus standard developed by a consortium of biometric vendors, integrators, and end-users over a period of several years. L-1 Identity Solutions is an active member of the M1 and ISO Technical Interfaces committees working to finalize this important interoperability standard.
  • CBEFF:
    Defines a data structure for creating files of biometric data that fosters interoperability between biometric components and systems. Consists of a standard header, a biometric specific memory block (BSMB), and an optional digital signature.
  • ANSI X9.84-2002:
    Defines a data processing framework and requires mechanisms for cryptographically securing biometric data prior to transmission via additional security features not required by BioAPI. Compatible with BioAPI. CBEFF-compliant.
  • X.509 Attribute Certificate:
    Part of the PKI structure. Stores a biometric template as an information attribute within a fixed number of bytes on a Public Key. The L-1 Identity Solutions minutiae-based fingerprint template meets all applicable criteria.