Frost & Sullivan has released new analysis stating that the global border control and biometrics market will see increased growth due to international cooperation. However, this growth may not be realized unless privacy issues are resolved and organizations are able to measure ROI.

The analysis, “Global Border Control and Biometrics Market Assessment,” covers the security, military, government and law enforcement sectors of the industry. It found that the market’s 2012 revenues were $5.8 billion, and it anticipates that the market will earn $15.8 billion in 2021.

Frost found that one of the main drivers in this market growth stemmed from agencies and organizations working together on an international level to collaborate on travel security, which has led to more implementation of electronic documents and readers.

Western markets have been at the forefront of this trend, with many countries having e-passports and testing eGates. Many pilot projects are taking place in Europe, with facial recognition technology being the preferred biometric modality. Russia is also looking into the use of biometrics as an identifier.

Eastern markets, such as China and India, are just starting to incorporate e-passports and eGates into their travel processing systems.

While the opportunity for growth is good, Frost does caution that budget cuts and privacy concerns could have a detrimental effect on plans to invest in biometric technology; however, cheaper technology and public education could mitigate those possibilities.