NIST Releases 'MBARK' for Better Biometric Systems

August 9, 2006 // Published as a news service by IHS

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released the Multimodal Biometric Application Resource Kit (MBARK), which includes new software and other tools that can be used to help build improved biometric applications.

Once a tool primarily used by law enforcement to help identify criminals, biometric technologies are increasingly being used by government and the private sector to authenticate a person's identity, provide security at the nation's borders and restrict access to secure sites - both buildings and computer networks.

Researchers said most biometric systems are "unimodal," meaning they rely on a single distinguishing physical characteristic - such as a fingerprint - for authenticating identity. But using a single feature can present problems. Poor illumination can make a face image unrecognizable; dirty or damaged sensor plates can affect fingerprint equipment.

A multimodal system that has several sources of information, including fingerprint, face and iris data, can be more flexible and reliable. But most biometric equipment, including the sensors that capture data and the database that stores the information, are not interoperable. Until now, organizations had to either purchase a complete system or develop "middleware" - custom integration software - to link applications together.

According to NIST, MBARK provides a solution. Originally envisioned as a tool to develop a large database of face, fingerprint and iris images for performance testing of biometric systems, MBARK has evolved into a standardized, flexible middleware package that will enable organizations to plug in sensors from different manufacturers, saving dollars and time. The package, which includes example applications and public-domain source code, can help reduce the complexity and costs of building multimodal biometric applications. MBARK can also be used by government and industry to develop standards and tests for biometric system interoperability and usability.

MBARK was developed as part of NIST's homeland security responsibilities and was funded by the Science and Technology Directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The U.S. Patriot Act and the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act call for NIST to develop and certify standards for verifying the identity of individuals and determining the accuracy of biometric technologies, including fingerprints, facial recognition and iris recognition.

For more information and to download MBARK, go to http://www.itl.nist.gov/iad/894.03/nigos/nigos.html.

Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).