An Introduction to Biometrics and Large Scale Civilian Identification

This paper introduces the reader to biometrics and explains how modern biometric technology is used for verification and identification of individuals. It begins by defining the specialist terms used by the biometric industry. It then goes on to consider the difficulties of using biometric technologies in large-scale civilian environments such as National Identity schemes. The paper concentrates on the practical difficulties of accuracy and scaling and considers some fundamental limitations. After establishing that such large scale schemes are difficult to implement, it reflects on how biometric technologies have been adapted and augmented to cope with these challenging situations. The paper concludes by looking at the likely future of such schemes and the likely advances in biometric technology.