Question

How does one accurately and efficiently represent and recognize biometric patterns?

(In 200 words)

Answer 1

Biometrics allows a person to be identified and authenticated based on recognizable and verifiable data, which are unique and specific to them.

Biometric authentication compares data for the person's characteristics to that person's biometric "template" to determine resemblance.

• The reference model is first stored.
• The data stored is then compared to the person's biometric data to be authenticated.

Authentication by biometric verification is becoming increasingly common in corporate and public security systems, consumer electronics and point-of-sale (POS) applications. In addition to security, the driving force behind biometric verification has been convenience, as there are no passwords to remember or security tokens to carry. Some biometric methods, such as measuring a person's gait, can operate with no direct contact with the person being authenticated.

Components of biometric devices include the following:

• a reader or scanning device to record the biometric factor being authenticated;
• software to convert the scanned biometric data into a standardized digital format and to compare match points of the observed data with stored data; and
• a database to securely store biometric data for comparison.