NIST unveils new MBARK system for interoperability of biometric systems

Biometrics have been beneficial in securing identity and assets but the problem which the industry is now facing, similar to first responder units, is interoperability. Most biometric tools are unimodal, relying on one identifying characteristic for identity authentication. These characteristics can be either fingerprints, facial recognition, retina scans, voice scans, and now even vein patterns (we wrote about this last week). Using just one form of biometric authentication, however, can cause problems such as a damaged fingerprint not registering correctly with the one in a central database, or a picture taken of someone’s face without proper lighting may register incorrectly and deny the individual access to the desired information. What is needed in this case is a multimodal system which is able to recognize various different biometric indicators. There is a problem here as well, though: Most biometric equipment is not interoperable, so having a multimodal system would not solve the issue. This is why the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has created what it calls a Multimodal Biometric Application Resource Kit (MBARK). NIST developed MBARK as part of its homeland security responsibilities and was funded by the Science and Technology Directorate of DHS. This “middleware” solution (custom integration software) allows enterprises to continue using their current biometric equipment integrating several biometric tools which normally would not recognize one another, recognize one another. This prevents the need for organizations to spend money on complete biometric systems