Fingerprint

The best known biometric systems are those that identify persons using their fingerprints. The chance of two people having the same print is less than one in one billion. False-rejection rates average 3 percent of authorized users; false-acceptance rates are less than one in one million. Automatic fingerprint identification systems (AFIS) have traditionally been used by law enforcement agencies. Use is now expanding into social services applications to identify those who claim welfare benefits, to monitor prisoner movement, to confirm health spa membership, at border crossings, and even at banking kiosks. AFIS systems are also gaining in popularity for security and access control applications. Fingerprint identification, coupled with time and attendance software, prevents employees from "buddy punching."

A typical AFIS system requires a user to place a finger on the machine for as little as one-half second to two seconds. Many devices analyze the position of the end points and junctions of print ridges (minutiae) of the fingerprint. Others count the number of ridges between points, while some approach the fingerprint from an image processing perspective. For storage, a fingerprint requires a data template that ranges from several hundred bytes to more than 1,000 bytes depending on the approach. Several companies with devices in development claim they will have templates under 100 bytes.

Some systems combine smart card technology and live fingerprint scanning. A digital template of the user's fingerprint (no ink involved!) may be captured and stored with credit card information on a smart card. Smart card readers can be integrated into point-of-sale terminals. When the card is inserted into the terminal, the cardholder is prompted to place a finger on the integrated fingerprint scanner to determine if the live scan and the information on the card match. Major credit card companies have long-term plans to incorporate this technology for use when smart cards become more common and when smaller, less expensive hardware is widely available.

Reprinted with permission from AIM, Inc.
www.aimglobal.org

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