Biometrics Masterclass [Part 4] - Eye on the future

Over the past few months we have looked at the evolving market that is biometrics and discussed some of the leading technologies in the marketplace. We have explained what biometric technologies are, provided an overview of the types of applications that may use biometrics and also highlighted some case studies showing biometrics at work in today's security environments.

In this issue we will examine what the future holds for biometrics in terms of the market size, adoption of the technology and integration of the technology into everyday life. Biometrics are already being adopted into large scale projects and are providing unique benefits to both the user and integrator.

The future biometric market
For a number of years biometrics have not developed into mass market technology and the adoption of this technology has been slow. The slow development of the market can be explained by a number of reasons. These include the size, cost and complexity of the system when compared to more familiar and popular security systems. However, the continued development of good biometric systems has met with adoption and acceptance of the technology into many facets of life, both in the public and private sector.

The continued growth of the biometric market will now ensure that the technology will have an important role to play in all areas of security, not just in the provision of systems, but also the security of our own identity. The use of biometrics as stand alone systems or integrated into multi-faceted solutions will provide good and sustainable growth for the market, ensuring the future revenues for biometric vendors and integrators.

Total biometric revenues are expected to grow rapidly over the coming years. This growth will be attributable to the wide deployment of biometric systems for access, e-commerce and large-scale public sector deployment. The chart on this page indicates the short term projected revenue for the biometric market, outlining that by 2005 it is expec-ted that biometric revenues will exceed $1.9 billion.

The IBG's (International Biometrics Group) recent report on the biometric market highlighted key findings for the industry, as detailed below:

• Biometric revenues are expected to grow from $399 million in 2000 to $1.9 billion by 2005

• Revenues attributable to large-scale public sector usage, currently at 70% of the biometric market, will drop to under 30% by 2005

• Fingerprint technology and biometric middleware will emerge as two critical technologies for PC desktop security, comprising of approximately 40% of the biometrics market by 2005.

The above findings conclude that biometrics is now a usable and affordable technology, providing excellent solutions for governments, the public and private business. The adoption of the technology by all market sectors will undoubtedly provide a secure future for biometrics and allow vendors to develop smaller and faster devices that can be integrated into everyday items such as mobile phones and PDA's.

Adopting the Technology
The future adoption of biometrics is almost unlimited. The versatile nature of biometric products will see the integration of the technology, not only in large scale government schemes, but playing an important role in everyday life.

To give an idea of the diverse use of the technology, we can see that biometrics are currently being used for wide ranging activities such as assisting governments and local authorities with the secure process of border control to dishing out school dinners.

The following examples provide an overview of these applications and show how the technology can be used to provide solutions for wide ranging applications. It is this diversity that will be the cornerstone of biometrics, and the future will show that biometrics will play a very important role in all our lives:

Simplified Passenger Transport
Biometrics are already being used in numerous airports worldwide for government and transportation applications such as border control, restricted access, and simplified passenger travel.

Your biometric is literally your passport at border crossings in Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates, where biometric recognition supports border control. Enrolled travellers can bypass lengthy customs and immigration lines, while security officials can more efficiently concentrate on examining unknown travellers. At Narita Airport in Japan, passengers who have enrolled in a simplified passenger travel application, simply glance at an iris recognition camera to pick up airplane tickets at check-in and even pass through the boarding gate.

The future of biometric in the transport sector is underpinned by the US visit program in the United States and the ongoing G8 country discussions have focused on how biometrics may be introduced more widely to improve national security, as well as providing simple and secure systems for travellers.

In addition to the need to improve border security, biometrics is also playing an important social economic role within the United Nations. This deployment of biometrics for border control is used for a different purpose and helps to distribute a one-time grant of human aid to refugees who wish to return to their homeland in Afghanistan. Four voluntary repatriation centres in Pakistan are equipped with biometric equipment to process refugees anonymously and quickly so that they can receive funds, food and travel supplies.

Keeping an Eye on School Dinners
Queuing time for lunch has been reduced as pupils now use a biometric recognition system for the first time in a British school. The Biometric Reader is operated by dinner ladies, allowing childrens' individual needs to be catered for at The Venerable Bede secondary school in Sunderland.

Parents can also use the system to check that their children are eating sensibly … and blocks can be put on unhealthy snacks and foods.

The biometric reader is linked to a database holding personal details, including what pupils can and cannot eat. The system is designed to cut waiting in canteen queues and also ensures the confidentiality of those pupils who quality for free school meals.

Children pay money into a machine at the beginning of the week and each pupil has an account. At meal times pupils can go to the canteen and pick up their food. They then go to the counter and offer their biometric for payment. The operator brings up their details on the screen and enters what they have purchased. The total is automatically taken off their account.

This system eliminates the need for cash and vouchers and also removes the stigma of free school meals – therefore it cuts out any bullying element. The biometric reader is fast enough to deal with 12 children a minute and can recognise if a person is registered with a food allergy or restricted from eating certain types of food. This system also awards points to children who, for example, choose vegetables over pizza.

As we can see from these diverse implementations of accurate, scalable and cost effective authentication solutions, biometrics are providing us with unique and adaptable solutions, not only in security but for a wealth of other applications.

The future for biometrics is certain, and will play an important role in all our lives, providing us with systems that secure our identity. And in securing that identity we can develop systems that can enhance our lives and increase levels of security. The biometric market will continue to grow and the implementation of systems is only limited by our imagination.