DHS’s Biometric Rally a Success for Gemalto – and for DHS

The results of the Department of Homeland Security’s first Biometric Technology Rally are out, and Gemalto is celebrating a strong showing.

Organized by the DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), the 2018 Biometric Technology Rally was aimed at evaluating facial and iris recognition technologies from a select group of successful applicants., using the S&T’s Biometric Technology Engine. Performing under the alias “Castle”, Gemalto demonstrated the strengths of its Live Face Identification System (LFIS) in several areas: It attained a 99.44 percent acquisition rate in under five seconds, compared to the average of 65 percent; it was one of only two competitors to meet the goal of a Failure to Acquire Rate (FtAR) of under one percent within 20 seconds, and had the lowest FtAR of 0.3 seconds; and it was one of only two competitors to attain an overall satisfaction rate (as judged by Rally volunteers) of more than 95 percent.

In a statement announcing Gemalto’s successful performance, the company’s SVP of Federal Government Sales, Neville Pattinson, asserted, “Given the success of LFIS, we see this as a secure and efficient solution for government entities to interact with citizens,” adding that the technology “can also revolutionize the air, land and sea passenger, international border, and security checkpoint experiences with increased security and added convenience to travelers.”

While Gemalto and its top-performing rivals have much to celebrate, for the DHS and its S&T agency, the Rally may be most successful as a test of testing itself. The Biometric Technology Engine was launched only last year, and is intended for use as a tool to help the DHS and affiliate researchers develop future technologies. With its first Rally appearing to have generated some strong competition and compelling results, it looks like there will be more such events to come, with the Biometric Technology Engine poised to become an important evaluation tool for biometric technologies going forward.

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June 13, 2018 – by Alex Perala