(Imagen 4)
When I started in biometrics 30 years ago, the most important operational biometric standard to me was what was then called the Electronic Fingerprint Transmission Specification or EFTS, published by the Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Unlike the ANSI/NIST biometric data interchange standard, the EFTS can actually be used out of the box to transmit data. The ANSI/NIST standard doesn’t define any “Type 2” fields, nor does it define any “types of transactions” (TOTs). EFTS did.
Other standards
But the EFTS, now the FBI’s Electronic Biometric Transmission Specification or EBTS (downloadable here), isn’t the only biometric transmission standard derived from ANSI/NIST.
- State police agencies have their own law enforcement transmission standards. Here’s New York’s version (PDF).
- Other U.S. federal agencies such as the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security have transmission standards.
- Other countries have their own transmission standards.
- Multinational agencies such as INTERPOL have their own transmission standards.
Luckily all the different standards have some basic similarities, but if you have a mobile biometric device that must submit to DOJ and DoD and DHS, you need to switch to the proper profile for each submission.
Last week I downloaded two different standards so I could understand the TOTs. I would have downloaded a third, but the agency restricts its distribution.
Word up
But I will tell you the biggest frustration I have with the standards.
In the EBTS and some other standards, there is a type of transaction referred to as “Criminal Ten-Print Submission (No Answer Necessary).” The abbreviation for this TOT is CNA.
Microsoft Word in default mode auto-corrects this from CNA to CAN.
CMOs, I can help you
But I’ve overcome this frustration over 30 years of immersing myself in all things biometric-translation related. This experience is benefiting a Bredemarket client that communicates with end customers regarding many of these standards.
Can my experience benefit you as your organization produces content, proposal, and analysis materials on a deadline? If Bredemarket can help you catch up or get ahead, let’s talk.
Bredemarket 