Mobile Sensors Toolkit

Reliable testing and certification of biometric devices is critical to obtaining consistent, predictable results. Over the past several decades, the biometrics community has done a significant amount of research on how to properly test the performance of its systems. This research resulted in a strong foundation for certification standards, most of which are still used in government-focused applications today.

Yet the industry’s focus has recently shifted to the smaller sensors now commonly found in phones, tablets, and desktop applications. The previous standards have proven ill-equipped to measure the performance of these devices, leading many manufacturers to develop research baselines which favor their own products. The looming requirements of new privacy legislation create an additional need for a new set of standards which address this category.

In the interest of informing consumers and advancing standards in the field, IBIA members have developed the following series of questions. While they cannot replace scholarly work on the subject, they are the first step in creating some best practices for testing, identifying the factors behind certification processes for consumers, and suggesting modifications to testing models used on today’s smaller biometric sensors.


Q: Is the processing of fingerprint images different for small area sensors?

Q: How were previous fingerprint systems tested?

Q: What is the “Three Bears Rule” and what is its relevance to technology testing?

Q: What are the different types of evaluation testing for biometrics?

Q: What is Technology Evaluation testing?