Performance testing of commercial biometric systems

Abstract

Purpose

Reports on the work of the National Physical Laboratory in evaluating commercial biometric authentification systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Reviews the results of the first round of testing, completed in 2000, and describes the new equipment to be used in the second round.

Findings

Various biometric features are being used for the unique identification of individual people, but so far the iris seems to be the most stable and is most successfully encoded for rapid and accurate recognition. Many biometric systems have an adjustable threshold controlling the trade‐off between security and user‐friendliness. By combining biometric features, for example, the geometry and texture of the face, the accuracy may be improved.

Originality/value

Reports on the standardization of test procedures for evaluating biometric devices, and the availability of objective evaluation results for different types of equipment.

Citation

Connolly, C. (2006), "Performance testing of commercial biometric systems", Sensor Review, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 33-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/02602280610640652