Choosing a biometric system
If you want to use a biometric systems, you will need to answer to the following questions.
It is just impossible to help you if you don't know what are your needs!
- Security level: do you have any idea of what security level you need? Or even what is a security level?
- Unattended system: will your system be attended or unattended?
- Spoofing: is it important for your application to have a system that is resistant to spoofing?
- Reliability: what reliability level do you need? Do you need a system that should work 24 hours a day? Is there some backup process?
- Cost adapted to the « object » to protect: what is the cost (or induced cost) of the object (or information) you want to protect?
- Universal for everyone: It ALWAYS exist a (low) percentage of persons unable to use a kind of biometrics: skin disease, blind people... excepted for DNA! What is your backup solution if the user cannot enroll?
- Is it a problem if some categories of persons are always rejected?
- Sometimes, biometrics are the only way to identify people (illiteracy): is it the case for your system?
- Enrollment / authentication speed: what is the acceptable time to enroll? to recognize? Is the enrollment assisted?
- Ergonomics, convenient, accepted way of giving sample: what about the way to use the system? Is it a "recognition at distance" system (non voluntary sampling), or the contrary, a system that requires a voluntary act ("buying" act)?
- Sensor size: a portable system, such as a cellular phone, will require a very small sensor. But a car will accept larger sensors.
- Signature token: what about the storage of the signature? cost, reliability, security?
- Privacy (Big Brother): is it an issue for your system?
- Government enforcement?
- Popular confidence: a fingerprint system will be immediatly trusted by population while a system based on gait recognition will not. Is it important in your application?
You will find in this website some clues to answer to those questions...