Format Owner and Format Type Registration

Since the Biometric Specific Memory Block (BSMB) contains biometric data whose content is not defined in CBEFF, a means must exist within the SBH to identify the format of that data.  The 'Format Owner' and 'Format Type' header fields (objects) are the mechanism used for this purpose.  By reading these values, an application or BSP can determine if the BSMB format is one that it is capable of interpreting and/or processing.  To be used in this way, the Format Owner and Format Type values must be unique.  This is accomplished through a registration process.

Format Owner is a 2-byte integer value.  It represents an entity (an individual, vendor, or organization) that defines one or more biometric data formats.  To become a recognized format owner (as described in this publication) and have a unique Format Owner value assigned, it is required that the format owner register with the registration authority. 

Format Type is a 2-byte integer value.  It represents a specific biometric data format for the BSMB, as defined by the Format Owner.  This may be a proprietary, unpublished data format or a data format that has been standardized by an industry group, consortia, or standards body.  The registration of the Format Type value is optional.   

It is the combined Format Owner/Format Type value that uniquely identifies the BSMB format.

Format Owners and Format Types need to be registered by a recognized authority to assure uniqueness. The International Biometric Industry Association (IBIA) has agreed to be the registration authority - the organization which will manage the registration, issuance, and archiving of the Format Owner and Format Type values for Organizations and Vendors which require them.  The IBIA has set up a web based support site, including the registration and retrieval of CBEFF identifiers. Details of this process can be found by contacting the IBIA.

The Format Owner and Format Type values can also be expressed as OBJECT IDENTIFIERS or OIDs.  A base OID arch has been allocated by ANSI to the IBIA for this purpose, as follows: 

x9-84 OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= {
   iso(1) identified-organization(3) tc68(133) country(16) x9(840)

          x9Standards(9) x9-84(84) IBIA(4) } 

IBIA has further extended this base OID with the IBIA has further extended this base OID with the following values, to accommodate the CBEFF Format Owner/Type assignment: 

x9-84 OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= {
   iso(1) identified-organization(3) tc68(133) country(16) x9(840) 

     x9Standards(9) x9-84(84) IBIA(4)

                CBEFF(1) Format Owner (xx) Format Type (xx)} 

Where the Format Owner value is issued by the IBIA and the Format Type value is assigned by the Format Owner. 

The root OID { 133 16 840 9 84 4 1 } is not used by BioAPI in the BIR header (since it is static and thus assumed); however, it is used within the ANSI X9.84 draft standard for the ASN.1 encoding of the SBH. 

Registration of format owner is required to populate the BSMB format owner field of the CBEFF Header. Registration of any format type is optional but highly recommended. Both values need to be included in the CBEFF header.

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