ISO/IEC 19785-2:2021

Overview

ISO/IEC 19785-2:2021 is an international standard titled Information technology - Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework - Part 2: Biometric registration authority. Published by ISO and IEC, this document defines the identification scheme used by the Biometric Registration Authority (BRA) for preparing, maintaining, and publishing registers of identifiers for biometric organizations and biometric objects. It supports global interoperability by providing unambiguous and consistent identifiers, enhancing biometric data exchange frameworks across various platforms and vendors.

This standard focuses on the role of the BRA in enabling standardized identification for biometric entities and products without delving into procedural requirements, which are managed separately on the ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 37 website.

Key Topics

• Biometric Organization Identifiers The standard mandates a scheme for assigning unique 16-bit positive integer identifiers to biometric organizations. Values from 0xF000 to 0xFFFF and zero are reserved and cannot be used for valid organizations.

• Biometric Object Identifiers Similarly, biometric objects within each organization receive unique 16-bit identifiers to distinguish objects such as data formats, algorithms, devices, and biometric categories.

• ASN.1 Object Identifiers Structure BRA utilizes a hierarchical ASN.1 Object Identifier (OID) tree for global uniqueness. Each biometric entity is identified by a sequence of integer arcs, ensuring unambiguous worldwide assignment. This approach supports standardized interoperability by defining:

  • Object identifier components with values between 1 and 65535
  • Separate arcs for biometric organizations, biometric information record (BIR) formats, biometric data block (BDB) formats, security blocks (SB), and specialized biometric products
  • Subcategories like capture devices, quality algorithms, feature extraction & comparison algorithms, compression methods, and presentation attack detection (PAD)

• Biometric Registration Authority Responsibilities BRA manages the global registry of these identifiers, validating applications from biometric organizations and biometric object registrants. It publishes updated registers to maintain consistent identifier usage across systems without enforcing procedural standards directly within this document.

Applications

• Interoperable Biometric Systems ISO/IEC 19785-2:2021 ensures seamless interoperability among diverse biometric systems by providing a common framework to identify biometric entities unambiguously-critical when combining devices or algorithms developed by different vendors.

• Biometric Data Exchange The standard underpins the Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework (CBEFF), which is crucial for biometric information record (BIR) format definitions and data interchange, permitting trustworthy communication of biometric information in security and authentication applications.

• Vendor-Neutral Biometric Solutions Organizations adopting this standard facilitate vendor neutrality by aligning with globally recognized identifiers, simplifying integration, maintenance, and updates in biometric systems.

• Support for Advanced Biometric Products Registration extends to presentation attack detection (PAD) technologies for enhancing biometric security against spoofing and fraud, addressing emerging needs in biometric authentication.

Related Standards

• ISO/IEC 19785-1: Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework – Part 1: Data element specification Defines the biometric data elements and formats that are identified and registered under Part 2.

• ISO/IEC 2382-37: Information technology - Vocabulary - Part 37: Biometrics Provides standardized terms and definitions essential for understanding biometric concepts referenced in the standard.

• ISO/IEC 8824-1: Specification of ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation One) used for defining the object identifier structure.

• ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 37 Procedures Maintains procedural guidelines and recommendations related to biometric registration authorities and is hosted on the ISO/IEC SC 37 website.

Keywords: Biometric Registration Authority, ISO/IEC 19785-2, biometric organization identifiers, biometric object identifiers, ASN.1 object identifier, Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework, biometric interoperability, presentation attack detection, biometric data exchange, biometric standards, biometric systems integration, CBEFF, biometric product registration.