The Multimodal Biometric Application Resource Kit (MBARK), developed in the Information Access Division to help in building improved biometric applications, is now available from NIST. MBARK, which includes example applications and public-domain source code, can help reduce the complexity and costs of building multimodal biometric systems. It provides standardized, flexible middleware software that will enable organizations to plug in sensors from different manufacturers, saving dollars and time. MBARK may be leveraged to develop the next-generation of biometric and personal identity verification applications. MBARK can also used by government and industry to develop standards and tests for biometric system interoperability and usability.

Biometric technologies increasingly are being used by government and the private sector to authenticate a person’s identity, provide security at the nation’s borders and restrict access to secure sites. MBARK was developed as part of NIST’s homeland security responsibilities and was funded by the Science and Technology Directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The USA Patriot Act and the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act calls for NIST to develop and certify standards for verifying the identity of individuals and determining the accuracy of biometric technologies, including fingerprints, facial recognition and iris recognition.

For technical information and to download MBARK, go to http://www.itl.nist.gov/iad/894.03/nigos/nigos.html.

Additional details are also available in the NIST Tech Beat article at: http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/techbeat/tb2006_0720.htm#mbark.

Contact: Ross Micheals, x3234.