The biometrics industry

Biometrics, or human identity technologies, concerns technologies that make use of human characteristics to assist the process of human identification.

Biometrics include fingerprints, retina and iris scans, speaker recognition, hand palm scanning and may even extend to the use of DNA profiling.

Human identity technologies have been used as access technologies in forensic applications, and security and authentication.

However, a mismatch currently exists between the state of the technology and its large-scale deployment limiting this hi-tech industry, which is expected to grow rapidly in the light of the various security concerns of the modern era.

The biometrics industry extends from research and development institutions, through hardware, software and infrastructure developers, biometric capture service providers, verification and authentication authorities, system integrators and expert consulting services to the wide variety of corporate end users.

Consolidating and attracting industries active in these diverse areas creates the desirable environment and opportunities for economic growth based on high-value technologies and services.

A workshop was held at the University last October, organised by Total Trust Solutions Ltd and Identity Solutions, in collaboration with the University, to discuss the creation of a biometrics industry association and a knowledge-transfer network, bringing together industry, academia and research institutions working in this sector.

The workshop was attended by representatives from the civil service, private biometric system vendors and consultants, international e-payment application software companies, the Police, the EuroMed Institute of Technology and Innovation (EuroMedITI), Malta Enterprise and the University.

During the workshop, Total Trust Solutions and Identity Solutions announced that an international workshop on biometric technologies is scheduled to take place in Malta in February 2007.

Several action points were agreed during the workshop, but perhaps the highest impact decision was the agreement to work towards incorporating a Biometrics Industry Association in Malta inviting biometrics industry and biometrics research institutions in Malta and around the Mediterranean basin to join and work together to create an effective value chain for this market, act as a catalyst for the creation of a knowledge-transfer network to assist in matching emerging biometric technologies with the market needs and create an effective biometrics industry lobby in the Mediterranean and in the EU.

A steering committee for the Biometrics Industry Association was set up with the brief to create the association in the coming months and establish the participation of biometrics industries - from technology providers through to system integrators and corporate end users.