Tag Archives: fingerprint

Delivering Bad News: How Motorola Overcame the FpVTE 2003 Results Announcement

I just realized that I have never told the FULL story of FpVTE 2003 in the Bredemarket blog. I’ve only told the problem part, but not the solution part. Bad on me.

The problem part

I told parts of this in a 2023 post entitled “The Big 3, or 4, or 5? Through the Years.” One of the pivotal parts of the story was when the “big 4” became the “big 3.”

It happened like this:

These days the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is well known for its continuous biometric testing, but one of its first tests was conducted in 2003. At the time, there were four well-recognized fingerprint vendors:

  • Cogent Systems.
  • Motorola, which had acquired Printrak.
  • NEC.
  • Sagem Morpho, which had acquired Morpho.

There were a bunch of other fingerprint vendors, but they were much smaller, including the independent companies Bioscrypt and Identix.

I was a product manager at Motorola at the time, managing the server portion of the company’s automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS), Omnitrak. This featured a modernization of the architecture that was a vast improvement over the client-server architecture in Series 2000. The older product was still in use at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), but Motorola was in the process of installing Omnitrak in Slovenia and upgrading existing systems in Oklahoma and Switzerland.

Yes, I’ve worked in biometrics for a while.

Yes, I am the biometric product marketing expert.

This is the environment in which NIST released its Fingerprint Vendor Technology Evaluation of 2003 (FpVTE 2003).

“FpVTE 2003 consists of multiple tests performed with combinations of fingers (e.g., single fingers, two index fingers, four to ten fingers) and different types and qualities of operational fingerprints (e.g., flat livescan images from visa applicants, multi-finger slap livescan images from present-day booking or background check systems, or rolled and flat inked fingerprints from legacy criminal databases).”

So the companies listed above, among others, submitted their algorithms to FpVTE 2003. After the testing, NIST issued a summary report that included this sentence.

“Of the systems tested, NEC, SAGEM, and Cogent produced the most accurate results.”

You can see how this affected Motorola…and me. We were suddenly second-tier, via independent confirmation.

I’m a loser, baby. Google Gemini.

We first had to go to the RCMP and admit that we weren’t as accurate as other systems. This came at a particularly bad time, since the RCMP was engaged in a massive system upgrade of its own. While Motorola’s FpVTE performance was not the ultimate deciding factor, we lost the massive RCMP system to Cogent.

But Motorola did something else at the same time.

The solution part

The accuracy of an automated fingerprint identification system falls in the laps of the algorithm developers, whether the vendor develops its own algorithms or buys a third-party algorithm from another AFIS vendor.

Motorola developed its own algorithm…and one of the R&D leaders was Guy Cardwell.

Motorola held a User’s Conference after the FpVTE results announcement, and Cardwell spoke to our customers.

  • It wasn’t a flashy presentation with smoke and mirrors.
  • It wasn’t an accusatory presentation calling NIST a bunch of crooks.
  • It was basically Guy, on stage, saying that we didn’t do well.
  • And that we would do better.

Now of course that in itself means nothing unless we actually DID better. The R&D team went to work and improved the algorithm, and continued with other advances such as supporting complete 1000 pixel per inch systems as Sweden demanded.

But from a product marketing perspective, Motorola’s initial messaging to its customers was critically important.

Because if Motorola didn’t publicly address its FpVTE 2003 performance, then the only people talking about it would be Cogent, NEC, and Sagem Morpho.

And you don’t want to let your competitors deliver your message and steal your prospects.

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Lyria…and Fingerprint Matching

Google Gemini has a new capability: artificial intelligence music generation.

It’s called Lyria.

“Since launching the Gemini app, we’ve built tools to encourage creative expression through images and video. Today, we’re taking the next step: custom music generation. Lyria 3, Google DeepMind’s latest generative music model, is rolling out today in beta in the Gemini app.”

I used this prompt to generate a Lyria tune:

“Create music for a wildebeest using a laptop to compare a latent fingerprint to a tenprint fingerprint”

Google’s response:

“’I’ve created a unique atmospheric track for you that blends electronic data-processing sounds with the deep, resonant textures of a wildebeest’s world. You can play the music directly here in our chat!”

Or I could download it and share it with you.

Lyria.

Know Your Contactless Fingerprint Scanning History

As I write this, contactless fingerprint scanners cannot submit their prints to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Next Generation Identification (NGI) system.

But the FBI does certify such scanners under a special category.

CFS flats from IDloop

Biometric Update recently wrote about one such scanner.

“Hungarian border police are exploring the use of contactless biometric technology made by German startup IDloop in border control and law enforcement….

“The product [CFS flats] was first introduced in 2024 and is the world’s first 3D contactless fingerprint scanner certified by the FBI, according to the firm.”

Note the last four words.

Biometric Update reports news as reported, and I don’t think it’s Biometric Update’s purpose to poke holes in vendor claims. So they just says that THE FIRM SAYS it’s certified, and it’s the first.

Well, IDloop is half right.

Is IDloop’s CFS flats FBI certified?

The way to check certification is to go to the Certified Products List web page at the FBI Biometric Specifications website. You can go there yourself: https://fbibiospecs.fbi.gov/certifications-1/cpl

And if you do, scroll down to the “Firm” area and look for IDloop in the list of firms.

Yes, it’s there, and it has a certification under the Personal Identity Verification (PIV) specification, originally dated 10/30/2024, modified 1/28/2026.

From the CPL.

Here’s the description:

“CFS flats contactless, up to 4-finger, capture device at 500 ppi (PIV-071006) (original 10/24; algorithm update 1/26) Note: Device images a 3-dimensional object, but testing was primarily 2-dimensional – Not for use with CJIS systems.”

Again, the FBI isn’t allowing contactless submissions to CJIS systems such as NGI, in part because the Appendix F specifications assume analysis of fingerprint images on a 2-dimensional object. Obviously very, very difficult with contactless devices that capture 3-dimensional objects.

Is IDloop’s CFS flats first?

Again, here’s what IDloop claims.

“Introducing CFS flats—the world’s first FBI-certified 3D contactless fingerprint scanner.“

Um…perhaps I should share a bit of my personal history, for those who don’t know.

From 2009 to 2017 I worked for a company called MorphoTrak. Know where this is going?

But I’m not going to focus on my former employer.

Initial CPL search

Remember that unusual sentence that appears in IDloop’s description of its PIV certification?

“Device images a 3-dimensional object, but testing was primarily 2-dimensional”

I assert that if we can find ANY contactless product in the Certified Products List that uses that same language and was certified before 10/30/2024, then IDloop’s claim of being first is…somewhat inaccurate.

So I checked.

From the CPL.

Two products received PIV certification before October 2024, MorphoWave XP (July 2020) and MorphoWave TP (May 2024). The first was originally certified over 4 years BEFORE the IDloop product.

“MorphoWave XP (formerly MorphoWave Compact) contactless, up to 4-finger, livescan device at 500 ppi (PIV-071006) (alternate enrollment processing 6/23; name change 2/22; contrast stretch 9/21; original 7/20) Note: Device images a 3-dimensional object, but testing was primarily 2-dimensional – Not for use with CJIS systems.”

Subsequent CPL search

And what if you search for the word “contactless” instead and just look at the 4-finger PIV certifications?

If you do so, you can find certifications from 2019 and earlier for products from Advanced Optical Systems (October 2015 May 2017), Safran Morpho (November 2015, under the original name “Finger On The Fly”), and Thales (May 2019). All years BEFORE the IDloop product.

IDloop, meet Advanced Optical Systems

While Advanced Optical Systems is no more, let’s look at the description for that original AOS product.

“ANDI OTG

contactless, up to 4-finger, livescan capture system at 500ppi (PIV-071006). Note: Device images a 3-dimensional object, but testing was only 2-dimensional – Not for use with CJIS systems”

Oh, and there was a press release:

“Huntsville, AL, November 30, 2015 (Newswire.com) –​​​​​​Advanced Optical Systems, Inc made the historic announcement today that their revolutionary, zero-contact “On The Go” fingerprint technology, ANDI® OTG, is the first non-contact fingerprint system to be certified by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  The FBI added the device to the agency’s Certified Product List (CPL) on November 27th, 2015.”

From https://www.newswire.com/news/andi-otg-zero-contact-fingerprint-system-certified-by-fbi.

So IDloop may be certified, but it’s NOT the first contactless 4-finger scanner to receive certification.

It should have fact checked with the biometric product marketing expert.

Biometric product marketing expert, somewhere an ocean away from Hungary.

Who Can Write My Biometric Company’s Product Marketing Content?

Someone who is a biometric product marketing expert.

Someone who has three decades of expertise in biometrics.

I remember ANSI/NIST-CSL 1-1993.

Someone who has worked with fingerprints, faces, irises, voices, DNA, and other biometric modalities.

Some modalities. Butts and tongues not included.

Someone who understands the privacy landscape in Europe (GDPR), Illinois (BIPA), California, and elsewhere.

BIPA is a four-letter word.

Oh…and someone who can write.

A slight exaggeration.

So who can write this stuff?

I know someone. Bredemarket.

Stop losing prospects! Use Bredemarket content for tech marketers

Some great videos


Biometric product marketing expert.
Questions.
Services, process, and pricing.

Which Biometric Modalities Does NIST Investigate?

I’ve spent a lot of time in the Bredemarket blog looking at a variety of NIST studies of different biometric modalities.

But you can read up on them yourself.

NIST has investigated the following biometric modalities, using both definitions of the word biometrics:

But NIST has not spent taxpayer money researching other biometric modalities, such as tongue identification.

Biometric product marketing expert.

Did You Say Fingerprint Cards, ATF NFA Person?

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF, a legacy acronym) is part of the Department of Justice (moved from Treasury when Homeland Security was created). One of its duties is to administer the regulations from the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934.

In the course of its duties, ATF fingerprints certain gun owners.

As Bayometric notes in a detailed article, there are two ways to generate the fingerprint cards required by ATF: traditional ink fingerprinting to create an FD-258 card, and live scan fingerprinting to create one or more FD-258 cards. Although the latter is more expensive (even a non-ruggedized live scan station is much more expensive than an ink pad), live scans measure quality immediately and are less suspectible to operator error.

But why even worry about FD-258 cards? ATF supports an eForms service which allows you to submit prints electronically like everyone else does.

Then again, if you’re suspicious of Big Brother, you may opt for non-electronic inked fingerprints.

Biometric product marketing expert.

Montana Fingerprinting Laws…and Costs

School volunteers aren’t free…especially when they need background checks.

Montana Public Radio explains that the state imposed new fingerprint-based background checks for school volunteers. 

At $30 a pop, the costs add up. Missoula is spending an additional $20,000 a month to fund this.

Bozeman isn’t paying for this. It’s making the volunteers pay.

Helena was already fingerprinting volunteers and therefore isn’t incurring any additional costs.

Do You Address Business Audiences, or Technical Audiences? Yes.

As I’ve said before, there may be many different stakeholders for a particular purchase opportunity.

For the purpose of this post I’m going to dramatically simplify the process by saying there are only two stakeholders for any RFP and any proposal responding to said RFP: “business” people, and “technical” people.

Google Gemini.
  • The business people are concerned about the why of the purchase. What pressing need is prompting the business (or government agency) to purchase the product or service? Do the alternatives meet the business need?
  • The technical people are concerned about the how of the purchase. Knowing the need, can the alternatives actually do what they say they can do?

Returning to my oft-repeated example of an automated biometric identification system purchase by the city of Ontario, California, let’s look at what the business and technical people want:

By FBI – http://www.fbi.gov/news/photos, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18500900.
  • The business people want compliance with purchasing regulations, and superior performance that keeps citizens off the mayor’s back. (As of January 2026, still Paul Leon.)
  • The technical people want accurate processing of biometric evidence, proper interfaces to other ABIS systems, implementation of privacy protections, FBI certifications, iBeta or other conformance statements, and all sorts of other…um…minutiae.

So both parties are reading your proposal or other document, looking for these points.

So who is your “target audience” for your proposal?

Both of them.

Whether you’re writing a proposal or a data sheet, make sure that your document addresses the needs of both parties, and that both parties can easily find the information they’re seeking.

If I may take the liberty of stereotyping business and technical users, and if the document in question is a single sheet with printing on front and back, one suggestion is to put the business benefits on the front of the document with pretty pictures that resonate with the readers, and the technical benefits on the back of the document where engineers are accustomed to read the fine print specs.

Google Gemini. It took multiple tries to get generative AI to spell “innovate” correctly.

Or something.

But if both business and technical subject matter experts are involved in the purchase decision, cater to both. You wouldn’t want to write a document solely for the techies when the true decision maker is a person who doesn’t know NFIQ from OFIQ.

An Abundance of Data is the New Oxygen…Maybe

I previously wrote about how clean data is the new oxygen (stealing a phrase from someone else), but sometimes more data is better. Sometimes.

Let me use the fingerprint example. If you have a single fingerprint from one person, you have data that you can use to match against a person’s tenprint record.

Grok.

But if you have two fingerprints, then you have twice as much data for the match. And Mister Math tells us that ten fingerprints yields much more data.

Now there are cases where you don’t have all ten search prints. Perhaps you’re taking latent prints from a crime scene and the suspect didn’t carefully leave all ten prints. Or you’re using contactless fingerprint capture and for some reason didn’t get the full tenprint record. But if you can get all ten fingerprints for search, then your match accuracy increases.

But is an abundance of data better?

Only if it’s clean.

If finger numbers are misclassified, or if fingerprints from multiple people are mixed in the same individual record, or if the minutiae are not marked correctly, then the dirty data messes up your process.

Which is why the quality of data in a fingerprint database is important.

And if you need to talk about your fingerprint product’s quality assurance measures, Bredemarket can help. Book a free meeting with me to discuss your needs.