Definition Biometrics refers to the automatic identification of a person based on his/her p hysiological or behavioral characteristics such as finger scan,

retina, iris, voice scan, signature scan etc. This method of identification is preferre d over traditional methods involving passwords and PIN numbers for various reasons: the person to b e identified is required to be physically present at the point-of-identification; identification based on biometric techniques obviates the need to remember a password or carry a token. With the increased use of computers as vehicles of information technology, it is necessary to restrict access to sensitive/personal data. By replacing PINs, biometric techniques can potentially prevent unauthoriz ed access to or fraudulent use of ATMs, cellular phones, smart cards, desktop PCs, workstations, and computer networks. A biometric system is essentially a pattern recognition system, which makes a personal identification by determining the authenticity of a specific physiological, or behavioral characteristics possess ed by the user. An important issue in designing a practical system is to determine how an individual is identified. Depending on the context, a biometric system can be either a verification (authentication) system or an identification system. Biometrics is a rapidly evolving technology, which is being widely used in foren sics such as criminal identification and prison security, and has the potential to be used in a large range of civilian application areas. Biometrics can be use d to prevent unauthorized access to ATMs, cellular phones, smart cards, desktop PCs, workstations, and computer networks. It can be used during transactions con ducted via telephone and Internet (electronic commerce and electronic banking). In automobiles, biometrics can replace keys with key-less entry devices Biometri cs technology allows determination and verification of one's identity through ph ysical characteristics. To put it simply, it turns your body into your password. These characteristics can include face recognition, voice recognition, finger/h and print scan, iris scans and even retina scans. Biometric systems have sensors that pick up a physical characteristic, convert it into a digital pattern and c ompare it to stored patterns for identification Identification And Verification Systems A person s identity can be resolved in two ways: identification and verification. The former involves identifying a person from all biometric measurements collect ed in a database and this involves a one-to-many match also referred to as a cold search . Do I know who you are? Is the inherent question this process seeks to answ er. Verification involves authenticating a person s claimed identity from his or h er previously enrolled pattern and this involves a one-to-one match. The questio n it seeks to answer is, Are you claim to be? Verification Verification requires comparing a person s fingerprint to one that pass previously recorded in the system database. The person claiming an identity provided a fin gerprint, typically by placing a finger on an optical scanner. The computer loca tes the previous fingerprint by looking up the person s identity. This process is relatively easy because the computer needs to compare two-fingerprint record (al though most systems use two fingerprints from each person to provide a safety fa ctor). The verification process is referred as a closed search because the search

field is limited. The second question is who is this person? This is the identific ation function, which is used to prevent duplicate application or enrollment. In this case a newly supplied fingerprint is supplied to all others in the databas e. A match indicates that the person has already enrolled/applied. Identification The identification process, also known as an open search , is much more technically demanding. It involves many more comparisons and may require differentiating am ong several database fingerprints that are similar to the objects. Basics of biometric facial recognition: Biometric Facial recognition analyzes the characteristics of an individual's fac e images captured through a digital video camera. It records the overall facial structure, including distances between eyes, nose, mouth, and jaw edges. These m easurements are stored in a database and used as a comparison when a user stands before the camera. Biometric facial recognition has been widely, touted as a fantastic system for r ecognizing potential threats (whether terrorists, scam artists, or known crimina ls) but so far it has been unproven in high-level usage. It is currently used in verification only systems with a good deal of success. Biometric Facial Recognition - The Process: User faces the camera, standing about two feet from it. The system will locate t he user's face and perform matches against the claimed identity on the facial da tabase. It is possible that the user may need to to move and reattempt the verif ication based on his facial position. The system usually gives a decision in les s than 5 seconds. To prevent a fake face or mold from faking out the system, many systems now requ ire the user to smile, blink, or otherwise move in a way that is human before ve rifying. Biometric Facial Recognition-The Past: The development stage for biometric facial recognition began in the late 1980s a nd commercially available systems were made available in the 1990s. While many p eople first heard about biometric facial recognition after September 11th, 2001, football fans were introduced to it at the Super Bowl several months earlier. Use of biometric facial recognition systems: Biometric facial recognition systems are currently gaining support as a potentia l tool for averting terrorist crimes, biometrics facial recognition is already i n use in many law enforcement areas. Softwares have also been developed for comp uter networks and automated bank tellers that use facial biometrics for user ver ification purposes. Evaluation of biometrics facial recognition technology: One of the strongest positive aspects of facial biometric recognition is that it is non-intrusive. Verification or identification can be accomplished from two f eet away or more, and without requiring the user to wait for long periods of tim e or do anything more than look at the camera. That said, biometrics face recognition's non-intrusiveness is one of its disadva

ntages when it comes to public opinion. Many people have expressed concern over the potential use of facial recognition cameras placed hidden around cities that would attmept to identify passers-by without their knowledge or consent. Howeve r, the inherent difficulties in making a positive identification are larger than most people realize, and seem to make this biometric a better choice for verifi cation systems, rather than identification.