Biometrics Case

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. TITLE PAGE.................................................................................1

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................2

3. ABSTRACT...................................................................................3

4. HISTORY......................................................................................4

5. TYPES OF BIOMETRICS...................................................................6

6. FACIAL RECOGNITION....................................................................7

7. RETNA SCANNER............................................................................8

8. FINGERPRINT..................................................................................9

9. HANDPRINT....................................................................................9

10. VOICE AUTHENTICATION...............................................................10

11. AUTHENTICATION...........................................................................11

12. SUMMARY......................................................................................11

13. REFERENCES...................................................................................12

ABSTRACT

This paper previewed my research of biometrics from the early 500 BCs to the 21st century. Upon understanding some of the biometrics differences and earlier methods used, I think the world is definitely is a better place to live in, as well as a much safer world to be in. One example of how this was used to make the world a better place was where biometrics were used at the NFL Super Bowl game in Tampa, Florida. There are many different types and ways of using biometrics to prevent entry into certain places or even to catch criminals from further causing damage in society.

Biometrics is the overall study of measurable characteristics, specifically in computer security biometrics refers to the different authentication techniques that rely on measurable physical characteristics that can be automatically checked. The overall practice of distinguishing humans based on intrinsic physical or behavior traits goes back thousands of years. The purpose of this term paper is to review and analyze several different methods of biometrics, including the evolution and history of biometrics, the several different types of biometrics that currently exist and how each type is currently used today. A biometric device is used by creating a digital template that is then compared to a database of already existing templates.

HISTORY

In order to be able to understand the history of biometrics it is important to understand where the term evolved from. The Greek words "bio" which means life, and "metrics" which stands for measure can come up with the term biometrics meaning life measurements. In order to be able to comprehend what this is all about at the simplest form, all you need to do is close your eyes and picture someone that you care about. An individual can picture another person and be able to recognize them specifically by their eye color, hair color, and shape of their nose or a special identifying mark that may have on their face. One of the most basic and yet oldest examples of a characteristic used as a form of biometrics is the human face. According to a government security article by Lauren Katims Nadeau, biometrics uses cutting edge technologies identify terrorists and criminals. The overall practicing of differentiating humans from one on another based on intrinsic physical or behavior traits can be traced back over a thousand years. During some of the earliest business transactions in 500 BC, there has been evidence of fingerprints being used on clay tablets. Fourteenth century Chinese merchants used children's palms and footprints to distinguish them. Even in the early Egyptian history, traders were separated and differentiated by their unique physical characteristics. The article goes on to say that some police adopted the Bertillon system (anthropometrics), which recorded arm-length, height and other body measurements on index cards. The Edward Henry system which measures one metric which is the fingerprint, became the method of choice and it is still used today. As a result of these three early developments in biometrics the world is a much safer place due to being able to identify and distinguish wanted criminals and terrorists. An example of this would be during the 2001 Super Bowl that was held in Tampa, FL., facial recognition systems were effectively used to scan the crowd and electronically analyze the crowd against mug shots from the local police department. The following is a timeline tracking the development of biometrics:

1903 - New York State Prisons begin using fingerprints to identify criminals.

1936 - Ophthalmologist Frank Burch proposes retinal identification.

1960s - Face recognition and fingerprint identification become automated. Speech

Patterns recognized as a potential for identification. Signature research begins.

1970s - Hand geometry and signature recognition systems become available. Speech

Recognition systems are prototyped.

1980s - Patents for hand and iris identification are awarded. Fingerprint records are

made available to a greater number of law enforcement agencies.

1990s - Real-time facial recognition is developed. The Biometric Consortium is

established. Hand geometry is used for security at the 1996 Olympics with an

enrollment of 65,000 records and 1 million transactions over 28 days. CODIS

(Combined DNA Index System) is launched by the FBI.

2000+ Vascular patterns are suggested as another method of identification. West

Virginia University develops the