When America’s security is riding on the line, there is no room for error. The means of authenticating or determining the identity of an individual must have high performance levels, while at the same time assuring a balance between privacy and security in the sharing of that information.

A three year, $3.1 million dollar Information Technology Research (ITR) grant from the National Science Foundation, with financial support provided by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, will enable researchers at West Virginia University and its partner institutions (Clarkson University, Michigan State University, St. Lawrence University and the University of Pittsburgh) to conduct the most comprehensive, collaborative biometrics research to date.

Biometrics is the use of unique identifying characteristics such as fingerprints, retina and voice scans to distinguish individuals from one another. The techniques can be used to authenticate the identity of an individual compared to a template, or in more challenging situations, to recognize a single individual from among many others.

For the first time, researchers will be developing an analytical framework for modeling and predicting the performance of biometric systems,said WVU ’s Larry Hornak, who will lead the research effort.We will also be studying the relationships among biometric applications, privacy, security and user acceptance that are essential for both informed public policy and system design. To my knowledge, never before has this type of comprehensive research been conducted.

To support this study, a new laboratory in WVU ’s Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering is nearing completion where fingerprints, hand geometry, face, voice and iris patterns will be collected from research volunteer subjects.

We’ll be looking at how these biometrics perform individually and in concert,Dr. Hornak said.Combined with a parallel collection at Clarkson, the resulting data set and the best practices developed in its collection will be invaluable not only to our research, but that of the broader biometrics community.The research will also examine the vulnerability of certain biometrics as well as explore system countermeasures.

WVU recognized early on that the term �€~biometrics’was fast becoming a part of our national language with the design of the undergraduate biometrics program beginning in 1998, and the subsequent graduate specializations and short courses offered to professionals through the Department of Defense,said Dr. Gene Cilento, dean of the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.This grant from the NSF will further enhance our abilities to focus on this complex and revolutionary science, and we are delighted to have Dr. Hornak leading our efforts.Hornak, a professor in WVU ’s College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, led the development of WVU ’s academic program in biometric systems and also directs the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR), an NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center at WVU . WVU developed CITeR in 2000 with three other universities after receiving an NSF grant. Since then, it has expanded to include 10 industry and government members including the U.S. Department of Defense and the FBI , as well as four academic partners.

The goal of CITeR is to further the development of biometrics through new technologies research, interdisciplinary training of scientists and engineers, and facilitation of the transfer of this technology to the private and government sectors,Hornak said.It is very important to note

that the proposal for this grant was born out of the collaborative research efforts of the multi-university CITeR team.

Along with Hornak, other members of the biometrics research team are: Bojan Cukic and Harshinder Singh of WVU ; Anil Jain of Michigan State University; Stephanie Schuckers of Clarkson University; Michael Schuckers of St. Lawrence University; and Lisa Nelson of the University of Pittsburgh.

Hornak believes the research findings will be used both by government agencies and the private sector.

The use of automated biometric systems for personal identification and authentication is experiencing rapid growth,he said.While law enforcement and human services agency use of semi-automated biometrics was well established before 9-11, several larger scale, fully automated and distributed systems have now been mandated or under serious consideration for application in visa, passport and driver’s license issuance. Access control, banking, Internet/computer security and a wide range of e-commerce and medical systems represent major commercial technology drivers for biometrics. We believe this research will go a long way in addressing the challenges facing the pervasive use of biometric technology by both the public and private sectors.