Under Construction
The bioCommunity section is currently under construction. Please check back in the future for exciting new features.
FBI Initiatives
The FBI offers a wide variety of resources, information, and products for use by the biometrics community. We encourage you to explore this Web site to learn more about the FBI's major biometric initiatives--
Biometric Interoperability Program
This program promotes biometric-based information sharing between the FBI's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification (IAFIS) and other federal, state, and international biometric systems.
Certified Products
The FBI tests and certifies products to ensure they are compliant with IAFIS Image Quality Specifications. The IAFIS Certified Products List can be found at the following link.
Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)
The CODIS blends forensic science and computer technology into an effective tool for crime solving. For additional information on CODIS, please visit the following web site.
Facial Recognition/Identification
The Biometric Center of Excellence (BCOE) was created to support the FBI’s overall biometrics mission and the major programs and initiatives that comprise the portfolio of services. One biometric initiative involves facial recognition/identification capabilities. Facial recognition involves the automated searching of a facial image in a computer database, typically resulting in a group of facial images ranked by similarity. Facial identification is the manual examination of the differences and similarities between two facial images for the purpose of determining whether they represent different persons or the same person.
Facial Identification Scientific Working Group (FISWG)
In February 2009, the Biometric Center of Excellence (BCOE) established a new scientific working group focusing exclusively on facial identification. The FISWG’s mission is “to develop consensus standards, guidelines, and best practices for the discipline of image-based comparisons of human features, primarily face, as well as to provide recommendations for research and development activities necessary to advance the state of science in this field.” Participants include representatives from federal, state, local, and international agencies, as well as scientists, practitioners, and persons from the research and academic communities. The FISWG also develops resources to educate and inform law enforcement and intelligence communities through workshops and conferences and collaborates with other Scientific Working Groups and bodies, as well as the research and academic communities.
The FISWG’s first official meeting was held in June 2009 and was attended by 47 participants, including representatives from nine state and local agencies, 10 federal agencies, three international agencies, and three non-government organizations. The second meeting was held in October 2009 with 56 participants, including representatives from 13 state and local agencies, 12 federal agencies, five international agencies, and four nongovernment organizations. During these meetings, many key objectives were accomplished, including approval of the FISWG bylaws, election of officers, establishment of several subcommittees, and development of preliminary reference information. For additional information, please visit the FISWG web site at:
Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)
The IAFIS is a national fingerprint and criminal history system maintained by the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division. For additional information on IAFIS, please visit the following web site.
Next Generation Identification Program (NGI)
The NGI program offers state-of-the-art biometric identification services and compiles core capabilities that serve as a platform for multimodal functionality. For additional information on NGI, please visit the following web site.
Standards
The FBI CJIS Division works in close coordination with other U.S. government agencies and U.S. industry to help establish formal national and international biometric standards development bodies. For up-to-date information regarding FBI biometric standards initiatives, please visit the following web site.
Training
The FBI offers biometric training. Click on the links below to learn more:
