Standards

NSTC Policy for Enabling the Development, Adoption and Use of Biometric Standards

The goal of this Policy is to establish a framework to reach interagency consensus on biometric standards adoption for the Federal government. Federal agency adoption of these recommended standards, and associated conformity assessment programs, will enable necessary next generation Federal biometric systems, facilitate biometric system interoperability, and enhance the effectiveness of biometrics products and processes. [Download] (2MB)

Registry of USG Recommended Biometric Standards

The Registry of USG Recommended Biometric Standards (Registry) supplements the NSTC Policy for Enabling the Development, Adoption and Use of Biometric Standards. This Registry is based upon interagency consensus on biometric standards required to enable the interoperability of various Federal biometric applications, and to guide Federal agencies as they develop and implement related biometric programs. The Subcommittee will continuously review the content of this document, and release updated versions as required to assist agencies in the implementation and reinforcement process of biometric standards to meet agency-specific mission needs.

Supplemental Information in Support of the NSTC Policy for Enabling the Development, Adoption and Use of Biometric Standards, August 10, 2009

To assist Federal agencies support biometric system interoperability, this section provides supplemental standards and testing related information in support of the NSTC Policy for Enabling the Development, Adoption and Use of Biometric Standard and the Registry of USG Recommended Biometric Standards. [Download]

Some government-issued standards found within the Registry document are available for download below. Other standards are available from their Copyright holders (note that federal agencies have licenses for several of these standards – contact your department’s biometric standards coordinator for additional information).

IDENT Exchange Messages (IXM) Specification

The purpose of this document is to describe standard messaging format for interacting with the US-VISIT/IDENT systems. This guide is intended for the external users who are creating a client application that will interface with one or more US-VISIT/IDENT messaging services. [Download] (14 MB)

DoD Electronic Biometric Transmission Specification

The ability to transmit biometric samples is critical for enabling the DoD to share and leverage information across the DoD Biometrics Enterprise. The DoD EBTS includes transaction types and codes that support requirements for DoD encounters and detainment circumstances.

This standard is intended for those applications requiring the exchange of biometric samples and related biographic and contextual data both within the DoD Biometrics Enterprise and with external agencies, coalition members, and governments. DoD currently collects biometrics for matching and storage using ABIS in a format similar to the FBI's EFTS, which is an implementation of ITL 1-2000. DoD-specific customizations are captured in DoD EBTS 1.2.

[Download]