A. As the DoD Executive Agent for Biometrics, the BTF leads six key activities related to biometric standards development and adoption:  1) development of national and international consensus-based standards, 2) development and management of the DoD Electronic Biometric Transmission Specification (EBTS) as a key biometric standard in DoD, 3) development of interoperability testing methodologies and tools, 4) DoD-wide adoption and implementation of published biometric standards of high priority to the DoD, 5) development of a conformity assessment methodology for DoD and the USG, and 6) ensuring that all standards activities are in coordination and collaboration with joint, interagency, and multinational partners.

A. At the national level, the BTF participates in the U.S. Technical Committee for IT biometric standards (INCITS M1).  At the international level, the BTF serves as a member of the U.S. Expert Delegation to the international standards body (ISO/IEC JTC1/SC 37) and as a member of the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS).  Within these standards bodies, the BTF edits draft standards, contributes technical content, and participates in all stages of standards development.  In June, the BTF met in Washington D.C. to participate in INCITS M1 meetings.  In July, the BTF will travel to Korea for ISO/IEC JTC1/SC 37 meetings.

A. The highest-priority biometric standards for the DoD are DoD EBTS and ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2007.  The BTF is leading the development of DoD EBTS version 2.0 in coordination with Communications and Electronics Command (CECOM) and PM Biometrics.  The primary goals of this effort are to define data services and associated fields, including metadata and other textual information, to ensure DoD requirements are met and to preserve interoperability with other USG agencies, primarily the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

A. The BTF leads DoD biometric standards efforts within the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Subcommittee on Biometrics and Identity Management, which is the Cabinet-level council within the Executive Branch to coordinate science and technology policy across the USG.  The BTF is currently collaborating with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to scope a multi-part USG-wide conformity assessment program within the “USG Agency Action Plan and Timeline for the Development, Adoption and Use of Biometric Standards.”  The BTF also participates in interagency biometric coordination groups with the Department of  Homeland Security, the National Institute and Standards Technology, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

A. The BTF is developing three quality measurement algorithms and associated toolsets for three key modalities:  fingerprint, facial, and iris images.  The Fingerprint Image Quality Measurement (FIQM) tool was recently tested by NIST and produced favorable results, and the Face Image Quality Measurement tool is under evaluation by NIST.  Efforts to develop an iris tool are in initial analysis stages.

For more information on the above activities, please visit the BTF public website where you can download the most current version of DoD EBTS as well as other standards documentation.