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...