Fingerprint SDK

A fingerprint SDK is a software toolkit that allows the integration of biometric fingerprint recognition into various applications. They will typically utilize either DLL or ActiveX (COM) to interface with the integrated application. By referencing these DLL or COM objects, developers are able to utilize the fingerprint functionality from within a desired application.

Fingerprint SDKs provide a basic framework of functions to talk to a fingerprint scanner, capture an image, extract the unique minutiae data from the image, and compare two sets of extracted minutiae data. All of the more complex features and functionality are built upon this framework.

Functions

initialize() -- Initializes the fingerprint SDK API (when starting)
cleanup() -- Release resources initialized by API (when finished)
openDevice() -- Open a fingerprint scanner device
closeDevice() -- Close fingerprint scanner device
captureImage() -- Captures a fingerprint image from device
getMinutiae() -- Extracts minutiae points from captured fingerprint
matchMinutiae() -- Compares two minutiae records (1-to-1)

NIST Evaluation

NIST evaluates biometric systems according to the following operational model:

# A template is created for each target element t in set T. The successful creation of a template is considered a successful enrollment, otherwise the is considered an enrollment failure.
# Each image q in set Q is compared to each successfully generated template (i.e., all query elements are pair wise compared against all target elements). For each comparison, the score representing the similarity between the images is recorded. The score is assumed to be a floating-point number that represents the similarity between the images. Higher scores indicate similar biometric signatures, lower scores dissimilar ones. A pretermined null similarity score (typically zero) would be used given a system error, such as failure to enroll the target or query signature.

Common Developer Issues Not Addressed by some Fingerprint SDKs

* Good fingerprint scan VS a bad fingerprint scan - Note: Some SDKs provide real-time quality scoring and feedback to the user of positional corrections to make, ensuring a quality capture.
* How to store the extracted minutiae - Note: Some SDKs provide a complete encrypted storage and indexing capabilities, using industry standard databases and platforms
* How to load the information back from the stored location - Note: See above
* How to encrypt/decrypt the stored data - Note: See above
* How to create a transmit comparison requests across a network to facilitate a client/server topology - Note: Some SDKs incorporate a secure, N-tier/web architecture, including browser-side plugins that manage any fingerprint scanner present there, provide a user interface for capture, and securely transmit data to a server for positive ID.
* How to associate more than one fingerprint with a given person - Note: Some SDKs allow you to associate up to 10 prints with an individual identity
* How to convert a 1-to-1 comparison functionality and build it into a 1-to-N solution - Note: Some SDKs are capable of 1 to N up to millions of prints; others are only capable of 1 to few or 1 to 1
* Reliability of the comparisons against a large population size - Note: Some SDKs are capable of positive ID against large populations, as confirmed by sizeable commercial deployments using 1 to N ID

Fingerprint SDK vendors

[http://www.123id.us/ 123ID, Inc.]
[http://www.m2sys.com/ M2SYS Technology]
[http://www.biometrix.at/ Biometrix]
[http://www.bromba.com/ Bromba Biometrics]
[http://www.cogentsystems.com/ Cogent Systems]
[http://www.dermalog.de/ Dermalog Identification Systems]
[http://www.futronic.com.hk/ Futronic Technolog Co. Ltd.]
[http://www.griaule.com/ Griaule Biometrics]
[http://www.l1id.com/ Identix]
[http://www.idencom.com/ Idencom]
[http://www.id-sol.com/ ID Solutions]
[http://www.innovatrics.com/ Innovatrics]
[http://www.bio-key.com/ BIO-key International, Inc.]
[http://www.motorola.com/ Motorola]
[http://www.nec.com/ NEC]
[http://www.neurotechnologija.com Neurotechnologija]
[http://www.morpho.com/ SAGEM Morpho]
[http://www.secugen.com/ Secugen]
[http://www.sonateq.com/ SONATEQ]
[http://www.thales-security.com/ Thales Security Systems]
[http://www.usfisinternational.com/english/home.htm USFIS International]

Resources

[http://fingerprint.nist.gov/SDK/ NIST Fingerprint SDK Evaluation]

References