3. Making biometrics work

In order to assess the practicality or suitability of a particular biometric modality in any given application, or to judge how effective biometrics-based identity monitoring is likely to be in a particular situation, we need to understand the principal issues that affect a chosen modality. ‘Making biometrics work’ examines the relevant technologies of four major modalities—fingerprints, iris patterns, facial images, and the handwritten signature. All modalities offer both advantages and disadvantages, and performance will depend very much on the nature of the proposed application, the nature of the population who will be the primary users of the system, and the environment in which it is to operate.