- Email: [email protected]
Whither biometrics?
FEATURE TSSI currently employs 35 people in the UK and has revenues of £4 million. It believes that the new joint venture with Yorktal could transform the business over the next three years based on the size and scale of customers in the Chinese market. “The new business has the potential to transform
our business. Whereas a bank in Europe might have a few million customers, in China 10 to 50 million is not uncommon. Thus with a handful of customers we could see unit volumes rise dramatically,” said Danny Chapchal, chairman, TSSI Systems.
TSSI is currently conducting feasibility studies with a view to launching further joint ventures in India and Russia. Contact: Clodagh Boyle at Rainier PR, Tel: +44 20 7494 6570, Email: [email protected]
Whither biometrics? Participants in almost all fields of R&D indulge in crystal ball gazing from time to time, but there is no doubt that for the field of biometrics it is especially timely to look to the future. The debate around ID cards is a good example of why we need to ensure informed discussion rather than unfounded speculation. For while there are undoubtedly questions that quite reasonably should be raised, the political context of such an application inevitably introduces a dimension to discussions which can easily deflect attention from the underlying scientific issues.
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ideas and techniques as they move from the research laboratory to practical exploitation. There are those who have regarded biometrics as a sort of poor relation within the family of disciplines which underpin the general security sector, or as an area in which all the problems have already been solved, or as a market sector in which the UK is in danger of missing the boat, or even as representing a rather sinister and intrusive technology which has no future. None of these is true, of course, and although there are a number of organisations who can manifestly testify to this, it remains the case that there is no single voice speaking for UK biometrics as a whole, and this is to the community’s disadvantage. Perhaps UKBI can provide exactly such a voice to speak for and to bring together the excellent university research base in the UK, the industrial sector, relevant government agencies, potential end-users and, indeed (last but certainly not least), the general public. This will provide a unique cross-sector partnership inclusive of all stakeholders in the biometrics enterprise, and a framework within which existing organisations can work together more effectively. But what might such an organisation achieve? Having a single strong voice speaking for the sector is of course itself a significant benefit, but the comprehensive overarching partnership framework which UKBI can provide will lead to some obvious opportunities, among which we might list things like the following:
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Those of us working in the biometrics field regularly hear views expressed which suggest either that biometric systems can achieve everything, or that they can achieve nothing. Perhaps this is not altogether surprising since, while the biometrics field has now reached a plateau of some maturity, there are, quite clearly, still important research questions to address. Indeed, it is important to look beyond any specific current project, because there are likely to be significant opportunities for deploying biometrics-led solutions to person-identification problems in the longer term future. It is therefore very important that the industry-research interface operates effectively and, indeed, that all stakeholders (including end-users, the Government, and the general public) create a better mutual awareness of the possibilities and limitations of biometrics. Two developments, one short term and one longer-term, are currently worthy of note in aiming to contribute to a better and more widespread understanding of where the opportunities created by the rapid changes in available technology can take us. The first is the recent establishing of the UK Biometrics Institute, an initiative led by the University of Kent, but based around a partnership across the whole university research base in biometrics and the biometrics industry (the IAFB, for example, is one of the founding partners), which will aim to provide a unified single voice for UK biometrics, working in close collaboration with other specialist organisations to ensure that all stakeholders are represented. It will also aim to offer a focus for industry and others to access information and support to facilitate partnership building and the more rapid deployment of
November/December 2007
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it can be a recognised Centre of Excellence and a focus for impartial and objective advice which can draw on diverse sources of existing expertise; it can ensure widespread dissemination of best practice in biometrics;
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it can be a repository for and guardian of state of the art knowledge, for data and for expertise accessible by all stakeholders; it can map future market requirements to achieve a better match between supply and demand; it can promote productive partnerships to support innovation and exploitation of the technologies; it can help to ensure that the sector develops and maintains a highly skilled workforce to enable us to compete in the global market; it can monitor and develop links with international activity, ensuring the UK secures a strong position in this truly global enterprise; it can promote public understanding and discussion.
The second and more short-term development is that a workshop, organised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in association with the EPSRC IRIS Network and the Cyber Security Knowledge Transfer Network, will be held on 10 December, 2007. This workshop will bring together key speakers from industry, the universities, R&D funding agencies and other key stakeholders, to take a critical and focused look to the future, identifying those issues which must be addressed if the biometrics community is to realise its full potential in the future. The workshop will be highly interactive, and will incorporate an exhibition which provides industry and universities the opportunity to demonstrate their current work, and to seek creative and supportive partnerships. Further information can be found at http://conferences. theiet.org/biometrics. Crystal ball gazing may be an integral part of life nowadays, but perhaps in the biometrics area at least, now is the time when such an exercise might really pay off? This feature was contributed by Professor Michael Fairhurst, Department of Electronics, University of Kent. He can be contacted at: Tel: +44 1227 827376, email: [email protected], web: www.kent.ac.uk/enterprise
Biometric Technology Today
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our business. Whereas a bank in Europe might have a few million customers, in China 10 to 50 million is not uncommon. Thus with a handful of customers we could see unit volumes rise dramatically,” said Danny Chapchal, chairman, TSSI Systems.
TSSI is currently conducting feasibility studies with a view to launching further joint ventures in India and Russia. Contact: Clodagh Boyle at Rainier PR, Tel: +44 20 7494 6570, Email: [email protected]
Whither biometrics? Participants in almost all fields of R&D indulge in crystal ball gazing from time to time, but there is no doubt that for the field of biometrics it is especially timely to look to the future. The debate around ID cards is a good example of why we need to ensure informed discussion rather than unfounded speculation. For while there are undoubtedly questions that quite reasonably should be raised, the political context of such an application inevitably introduces a dimension to discussions which can easily deflect attention from the underlying scientific issues.
•
ideas and techniques as they move from the research laboratory to practical exploitation. There are those who have regarded biometrics as a sort of poor relation within the family of disciplines which underpin the general security sector, or as an area in which all the problems have already been solved, or as a market sector in which the UK is in danger of missing the boat, or even as representing a rather sinister and intrusive technology which has no future. None of these is true, of course, and although there are a number of organisations who can manifestly testify to this, it remains the case that there is no single voice speaking for UK biometrics as a whole, and this is to the community’s disadvantage. Perhaps UKBI can provide exactly such a voice to speak for and to bring together the excellent university research base in the UK, the industrial sector, relevant government agencies, potential end-users and, indeed (last but certainly not least), the general public. This will provide a unique cross-sector partnership inclusive of all stakeholders in the biometrics enterprise, and a framework within which existing organisations can work together more effectively. But what might such an organisation achieve? Having a single strong voice speaking for the sector is of course itself a significant benefit, but the comprehensive overarching partnership framework which UKBI can provide will lead to some obvious opportunities, among which we might list things like the following:
•
Those of us working in the biometrics field regularly hear views expressed which suggest either that biometric systems can achieve everything, or that they can achieve nothing. Perhaps this is not altogether surprising since, while the biometrics field has now reached a plateau of some maturity, there are, quite clearly, still important research questions to address. Indeed, it is important to look beyond any specific current project, because there are likely to be significant opportunities for deploying biometrics-led solutions to person-identification problems in the longer term future. It is therefore very important that the industry-research interface operates effectively and, indeed, that all stakeholders (including end-users, the Government, and the general public) create a better mutual awareness of the possibilities and limitations of biometrics. Two developments, one short term and one longer-term, are currently worthy of note in aiming to contribute to a better and more widespread understanding of where the opportunities created by the rapid changes in available technology can take us. The first is the recent establishing of the UK Biometrics Institute, an initiative led by the University of Kent, but based around a partnership across the whole university research base in biometrics and the biometrics industry (the IAFB, for example, is one of the founding partners), which will aim to provide a unified single voice for UK biometrics, working in close collaboration with other specialist organisations to ensure that all stakeholders are represented. It will also aim to offer a focus for industry and others to access information and support to facilitate partnership building and the more rapid deployment of
November/December 2007
•
•
it can be a recognised Centre of Excellence and a focus for impartial and objective advice which can draw on diverse sources of existing expertise; it can ensure widespread dissemination of best practice in biometrics;
•
•
•
•
it can be a repository for and guardian of state of the art knowledge, for data and for expertise accessible by all stakeholders; it can map future market requirements to achieve a better match between supply and demand; it can promote productive partnerships to support innovation and exploitation of the technologies; it can help to ensure that the sector develops and maintains a highly skilled workforce to enable us to compete in the global market; it can monitor and develop links with international activity, ensuring the UK secures a strong position in this truly global enterprise; it can promote public understanding and discussion.
The second and more short-term development is that a workshop, organised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in association with the EPSRC IRIS Network and the Cyber Security Knowledge Transfer Network, will be held on 10 December, 2007. This workshop will bring together key speakers from industry, the universities, R&D funding agencies and other key stakeholders, to take a critical and focused look to the future, identifying those issues which must be addressed if the biometrics community is to realise its full potential in the future. The workshop will be highly interactive, and will incorporate an exhibition which provides industry and universities the opportunity to demonstrate their current work, and to seek creative and supportive partnerships. Further information can be found at http://conferences. theiet.org/biometrics. Crystal ball gazing may be an integral part of life nowadays, but perhaps in the biometrics area at least, now is the time when such an exercise might really pay off? This feature was contributed by Professor Michael Fairhurst, Department of Electronics, University of Kent. He can be contacted at: Tel: +44 1227 827376, email: [email protected], web: www.kent.ac.uk/enterprise
Biometric Technology Today
7