Government Looking To Improve Security Through 3-D BiometricsGovernment Looking To Improve Security Through 3-D Biometrics

The Department of Defense hopes that by the middle of next year it will be able to test at the nation's boarders wireless mobile identification technology that can snap three-dimensional images of people moving into and out of the United States and check those images against a database of 3-D mug shots. The government already has invested $700,000 in the project, which is being run by Unisys Corp. and A4Vision Inc., a provider of 3-D facial-imaging and recognition systems.

Together, Unisys and A4Vision are working to make 3-D biometrics more commonplace as a tool to improve national security and guard against identity theft. "The aftereffects of 9/11 have accelerated demand for and development of biometric technology for security purposes," says Ed Schaffner, director of positive-identification and access-control programs for Unisys' worldwide global public-sector group.

Research firm IDC expects the market for biometric technology will be $887 million next year, while research firm Frost & Sullivan predicts the market will more than double by 2006 to $2.05 billion.

Three-dimensional facial images are captured either using a number of digital cameras positioned around the subject's face or by using a structured light grid that captures facial-structure data. This data is then stored in a back-end database, where it can be retrieved and compared against new facial images. Although two-dimensional images can be compared today, the accuracy of this process is hindered by lighting and the subject's pose, as well as the effects of aging, weight fluctuation, and use of facial ornamentation such as eyeglasses, Schaffner says.

"The most important aspect of this is ensuring that each citizen has one and only one identity," Schaffner says. "This requires performing one-to-many searches of biometric data that's captured."

A4Vision and Unisys are working to develop pilot programs for 3-D facial imaging and recognition worldwide. "We're at the early stages of implementation of the technology," Schaffner says.

The companies are creating 3-D biometric image standards. Once these standards are developed, they'll be taken before the Technical Committee M1, Biometrics for consideration. The International Committee for IT Standards' executive board in November 2001 established Technical Committee M1, Biometrics to speed development and approval of formal national and international generic biometric standards. There's no specific deadline for the development of such standards, Schaffner says.

Standards and requirements for facial biometrics will help spur adoption of 3-D biometrics, A4Vision CEO Grant Evans says. Collaboration with partners such as Logitech Inc. and Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd. subsidiary FusionTech will also help lower the cost of implementation, making 3-D biometrics a more practical "tool in the arsenal of security," he says.

There's a lot riding on getting 3-D biometrics accepted in the market, Schaffner says: "We cannot afford to be less than perfect when we're identifying individuals coming into our country."