BIOMETRICS

Biometrics

Biometrics

Introduction

Biometrics is the latest technology that is taking over the world. It is an automated method of identifying a person based on his/her physical or behavioral characteristics. Biometric technologies are becoming the establishment of a broad range of highly secure process of identification and details verification solutions (Jain & Patrick & Ross, 2008).

It expected that Biometrics technology make it possible to provide solutions for law enforcement agencies and homeland security, including airport security, improving the national borders security system, and improvising document verifying system (Prabhakar & Pankanti & Jain, 2003). Now state, federal and the local governments are expressing their interest in biometrics technology. Numerous congressional offices and a number of organizations involved in varied industries have identified the role of biometrics that can serve their interest and further improvise their system and make it more accurate and precise. Through biometrics, the problem of identifying and verifying the identity of individuals be made more efficient and accurate (Jain & Patrick & Ross, 2008). The five basic components of Biometrics are

A sensor to confine and digitize data

Signal processing algorithms that form the biometric template

A unit for data storage

A matching mechanism that evaluates the new templates to the one previously recorded and stored in the database

Decision process mechanism that uses the results of the matching mechanism to accept or reject the individual

Discussion

The system of identification distinguishes the biometric template that stored in the system. The verification system then compares and match the biometric template of the individual from the previous template stored. Biometric systems applied across a number of fields, like forensic science, financial organizations, government organizations, banks, and civilian applications. Government agencies use biometrics for verifying the entry of personnel in the country, companies use biometrics for restricting personnel to sensitive zones and information, while law enforcement agencies use biometrics to identify the criminals and suspects. The characteristics of biometrics cannot be altered, and they cannot be misplaced, forgotten or transferred to another person. This gives a competitive advantage over other systems that use it for verifying and identifying, like PIN code or photo identity cards (Larsen, 2008).

The biometric recognition technology is making the leap from science fiction to everyday applications used in offices. The new handheld computer or personal digital assistant (PDA) equipped with a biometric security system. Inside the iPAQ is a fingerprint scanner and the device which remains locked until the owner's fingerprint not detected and recognized. This is an example of public acceptance of how biometrics is beginning to take its place in everyday applications. With the current state, of world security, biometrics has gone much further with greater use in airports and other safe places to verify the identity of an individual has become crucial. Biometrics makes possible to verify or authenticate access to a person based on physiological and behavioral characteristics. Examples of physiological characteristics are voice, eye, fingerprint or palm print recognition of, while those of behavior include the beating and the signature (Ortega-Garcia et al, 2004). The main areas of development for the current ...