BS ISO/IEC 19794-7:2014+A1:2015

What is this standard about?

This is Part 7 in a series of standards on formats for the exchange of biometric data. It defines requirements relating to digital signature/sign behavioural data.

Who is this standard for?

• Producers and suppliers of biometric data devices and associated software
• Users of biometric data interchange formats – the BS ISO/IEC 19794 series standards are applicable to all identity management systems including:
  • identity document delivery and access management systems – such as border controls, corporate identity and access cards 
  • prison access/egress 
  • forensic identification – to identify casualties or suspects at the scene of a crime 
  • citizens' rights – including voting, national health, unemployment benefits, driving licences 
  • privileges associated with a particular employment category – including access to highly secure areas such as ports, airports, military establishments, company buildings, information systems 
  • access to services – including banking services, financial services and online purchases.
• Conformance and testing organizations associated with biometric data

Why should you use this standard?

The BS ISO/IEC 19794 series of standards will be useful in access control and identification systems such as those based on smart cards or other recognition tools, and also applies to the storage of biometric identification data in corporate databases.

For the purposes of biometric verification and/or identification, this part of ISO/IEC 19794 specifies a concept and data interchange formats for dynamic signature/sign behavioural data captured in the form of a time series using devices such as digitizing tablets or advanced pen systems.

The data interchange formats are generic in that they may be applied and used in a wide range of application areas where handwritten signs or signatures are involved.

No application-specific requirements or features are addressed in this part of ISO/IEC 19794. It contains definitions of relevant terms, a description of what data is captured, two data formats for containing the data — one for general use and one compact format for use with smart cards and other tokens — alongside examples of data block contents and best practice in capture.

What’s changed since the last update?

• This second edition is an amended standard which has been updated by experts to bring it in line with industry developments and greater international harmonization
• Clauses 7 and 8 have been technically revised and added to describe the finger minutiae format types
• Clause 10 and Annex A have been amended