ImageWare selected by Veterans Affairs to implement biometric identity management
06 August, 2007
category: Biometrics, Government
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has selected ImageWare Systems to provide the VA with large-scale, agencywide biometric identity management capabilities and enable the agency to produce Personal Identity Verification (PIV) credentials in support of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12). This deployment is considered one of the largest to date.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Taps ImageWare Systems for HSPD-12 Initiative
ImageWare Provides VA with Large-scale, Agencywide Biometric Identity Management; Considered Largest HSPD-12 Deployment to Date
SAN DIEGO–ImageWare® Systems, Inc. (AMEX:IW), a leading developer of identity management solutions, today announced it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in support of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12). ImageWare’s solution will provide the VA with large-scale, agencywide biometric identity management capabilities and enable the agency to produce Personal Identity Verification (PIV) credentials. In July, the VA placed a purchase order for $1.35 million, which was previously announced, and subsequently purchased a $350,000 maintenance and support agreement, bringing the total order value to $1.7 million.
HSPD-12 is a directive mandating a common identification standard for all Federal government employees and contractors. This project is believed to be the largest HSPD-12 agency deployment to date with the scheduled rollout to more than 225 enrollment sites and the initial issuance of approximately 550,000 PIV credentials within compliance of the International Standard Organization (ISO) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Federal Information Processing 201 (FIPS-201) requirements. National deployment of PIV Enrollment Centers is expected to begin in third quarter 2007.
“We’re very excited to be working with the Department of Veterans Affairs,” said Jim Miller, chairman and CEO of ImageWare Systems. “This new contract reflects the VA’s confidence in ImageWare and speaks to the quality of our products and services. Furthermore, we are committed to supporting HSPD-12 and this is another example of how the scalability and interoperability of our biometric identity management solutions help our customers meet compliance standards. In addition, our vendor neutral, open-architected IWS™ Biometric Engine™ platform provides government agencies and commercial enterprises new capabilities to meet emerging business requirements.”
Under the terms of the agreement, ImageWare’s biometric identity management solution will include:
- Multi-biometric enrollment and management of face, Livescan fingerprint and fingerprint minutia;
- Identity proofing and vetting to prevent fraud and duplicate registrations; and
- Management of all biometric devices.
About ImageWare Biometric Identity Management Solution
ImageWare’s biometric identity management solution, which incorporates the company’s award-winning IWS Biometric Engine and secure credentialing product suite, offers a complete solution to support PIV-I and PIV-II business processes, technical requirements, as well as the ability to partner with leading physical and logical access control vendors for logistics and deployment considerations.
About IWS Biometric Engine
The IWS Biometric Engine is a biometric identity management platform for multi-biometric searching and matching that is scalable, technology agnostic and allows organizations to manage population databases of unlimited sizes. The IWS Biometric Engine’s multi-biometric enrollment, management and authentication platform allows users to search and match tens of millions of biometrics for identity confirmation. Searches can be 1:1 (verification), 1:N (identification), X:N (investigative) and N:N (enrollment integrity).
ImageWare has expanded the IWS Biometric Engine platform to meet specific customer requirements and added a suite of products to provide government, law enforcement, border management and enterprise businesses with a wide variety of application-specific solutions that address specific government mandates and technology standards. It also provides the ability to integrate into existing legacy systems and expand based upon specific customer requirements. The new application suite of products include complete packaged solutions for HSPD-12, First Responder Credentialing, Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), and among others.
IWS™ EPI Builder™ SDK
IWS EPI Builder is recognized as a leading secure credential component of identity management and security solutions, providing all aspects of ID functionality from image and biometric capture to the enrollment, issuance and management of secure documents. IWS EPI Builder is designed specifically to facilitate the production of high-end, secure credential systems and enables organizations to develop custom identification solutions or incorporate sophisticated identification capabilities into existing applications. Components allow users to:
IWS Background Server&trade
The IWS Background Server is a software application designed specifically for government and law enforcement organizations to support the first stage of biometric identity management functions such as identity proofing and vetting. IWS Background Check Server automatically processes the submission of an applicant’s demographic and biographic data to investigative bureaus for background checks prior to issuing a credential.
About ImageWare Systems, Inc.
ImageWare Systems, Inc. (AMEX:IW) is a leading developer of identity management solutions, providing biometric, secure credential and law enforcement technologies. Scalable for worldwide deployment, the Company’s biometric product line includes a multi-biometric engine that is hardware and algorithm independent, enabling the enrollment and management of unlimited population sizes. ImageWare’s identification products are used to manage and issue secure credentials including national IDs, passports, driver licenses, smart cards and access control credentials. ImageWare’s digital booking products provide law enforcement with integrated mug shot, fingerprint Livescan and investigative capabilities. ImageWare is headquartered in San Diego, with offices in Washington DC and Canada. For more information visit www.iwsinc.com.
