„ STUDIES ON DEVELOPING NEW OPTOELECTRONIC SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION, USED IN PREVENTING TERRORISM – STIB”
1.1 Thematic area S/T according to Annex 1: code 9 “Security and space” – 9.1 – “Security” – 9.1.1 “Protection against terrorism and crime” – 9.1.3 “Border securiy”.
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT
Detailed scientific and technical description,including:
The degree of novelty and complexity
The project being multidisciplinary and complex, implies knowledge of advanced research in physics, mathematics, IT, optoelectronics and fine mechanics, image software processing, working with databases and technological platforms, knowledge related with access systems, working with sensors and fingerprint readers, research in forensics, optics etc.
Biometry is a national novelty in security. Because of its degree of preciseness and accuracy, sometimes close to 100%, it is considered to be the most certain authentication and identity confirmation method. Another very big advantage is the possibility of getting an answer in real time, compared with traditional methods that may take day or weeks, and are ineffective if a database is not present. At the moment it is successfully used in access control systems for large companies, in banks all over the world for identity confirmation, and recently as a method for marking out, stopping and containing terrorism and organized crime, with fingerprinting and face recognition system, that are increasingly present in big airports and on the borders of developed countries. For Romania, implementation of biometry is a novelty in systems of recognition and marking out circulation in custom points, airports, its use in forensics for real-time determination of identity, that may largely shorten the reaction time, its use by the visas and passport direction, immigration or population evidence services eliminating the counterfeiting attempts, assuming or using of a fake identity.
Biometry is the latest technology that automaticallly authenticates and identifies people comparing physic features or real time behaviour characteristics, using data recorded in a computer database. The lead in biometric technology belongs to fingerprint, iris, face, palm, signature, skin or even voice scanning.
Biometry is largely superior to other identification techniques like paper (ID card, driver’s license, passport), password. Those cannot offer 100% certainty and have many drawbacks. IDs are often lost or stolen. Passwords are often forgotten, left in plain sight and stolen. Papers can be stolen, lost, borrowed or even falsified. Unlike papers and passwords, identification through biometry offers a signature for a person that cannot be stolen, forgotten or borrowed.
Biometry helps protecting personnel by lifting a barrier between personal data and unauthorized access. Technically, biometric capture device create a digital signature that is encrypted and recorded, then compared with the “live” image taken from the same person to confirm her identity. The image is generated from a complex and an algorithm, then encrypted using a strong encryption algorithm to secure and protect the person against disclosure.
From all the above it can be inferred that the project is of a large complexity, has a big degree of novelty and originality, which leads us to state that the activity is interesting scientifically and especially technically because it opens up new possibilities of valorifying our experience, with significant prospects for similar equipment to be delivered in any domain that uses person authentication.
From all the above and those from chapter 3, it results that research in the two important stages aims a series of studies that must clarify some phenomena that appear in using techniques and technologies currently operational, but with some limits. In this respect we will make a scientific presentation of techniques to be used in reaching our projects’ objectives.
Methodology and techniques to be used, instruments, equipment, software, each partner’s contribution.
According to the first stated objectives, the conducting of a research activity is proposed, that would allow a deepening of some of the stated problems, clarifying of correlations between parameters that define studied situations, building of mathematical models for studying problems related to physical characteristics of target objectives, creating databases that would include information on evolution of state for studied objectives. The project being multidisciplinary and complex, it implies knowledge related to advanced research in physics, mathematics, IT, optoelectronics and fine mechanics, knowledge about image software processing, working with databases and technological platforms, access systems, optics etc. CCD cameras will be used both in face identification and in processing images acquired for establishing authenticity of documents. In face recognition a camera with very good resolution is needed, to acquire a clear image, for documents a camera with an optical zoom near 20X. In fingerprinting, sensors for digital reading of fingerprints will be used to gather data that will then be processed through a mathematical algorithm and transferred to an encrypted file for acquiring data.
Besides the techniques mentioned above, other advanced methods and techniques from physics will be used:
Regarding the instruments and equipments, we will firstly used those from our own stock, some of them being unique in Romania (high resolution 3D scanners), spectrodimeter, very low levels photometes etc. All the data can be found in form A 2.3. The material base will have to be filled in with a series of equipments, software and characterization stands.
We posses a series of software and stands, especially for fine mechanical design INVENTOR 5.2 – which will be used in the second stage – device design, will need upgrading for extending some facilities in 3D.
OBJECTIVES
The strategic objective of this project is to link in with priorities, objectives and specific activities for the European area of research in security, accumulating knowledge and experience in an advanced scientific and technological area, namely fighting against terrorism using the newest scientific and technical.
This kind of research, that includes mathematics, physics, optoelectronics and IT also asks for a multidisciplinary research team.
After completing fundamental and applicative research, our aim is include the gathered scientific and experimental results in a demonstrator (experimental model) for a complex system which will have to quickly retrieve detailed information about:
- structure of finger lines (fingerprints)
- distances between specific features of the face (facial geometry);
- iris features (IRIS);
The first stage includes fundamental research where the following scientific problems will be clarified:
- Studies of radiation physics regarding emisivity, reflectivity, luminescence, colorimetry and photometry on individuals of various nationalities (Africans, Asians and Europeans);
- Studies and research, models for measurement techniques applied on living beings in general and humans in particular (Biometry);
- Studies and research, models about activities of human locomotor systme (Biomechanics);
- Biological studies (biology of the eye, fingers, face etc.);
- Study of vocal timbres, chemical composition of the smell etc.
A second stage aims applicative research that brings new knowledge, starting from results of fundamental knowledge.
- Experiments on devices, gathering of experimental data for all activities mentioned at the first stage of research;
- Creating models of subansambles, experiments and conclusions;
- Creating a technologic demonstrator for a complex equipment, system experimentations;
Measurable objectives:
- The most important measurable objective concerns the fundamental studies in the first stage, these being the ones that give a dimension of the problem and enable the clarifying of a series of scientific and technical problems.
- Creation and development of an experimental base allowing the gathering of experimental data through which theoretical conclusions arising from fundamental research can be valorified.
- Creation of models for subansambles used in experiments.
- Creation of a technological demonstrator.
- Publishing at least 4 articles.
- Patenting technical solutions.
- Participating in conferences, symposiums and seminaries, at least 5 activities.
- Organising two seminaries after each stage.
- Training at least 5 specialists for the beneficiary.
Specific objectives reached through developing this project:
Developing of high complexity scientific and technological research, including fundamental and applicative research in common by a consortium made up from UPB – CMMPI, the National Institute for Research and Development for Physics of the Materials and SC Optoelectronica-2001 SA, a representative consortium at the national level for physics, information processing, engineering, aiming:
= integration, increased quality and performance level of R&D activities in the consortium;
= development of a long-term partnership between the participant institution, including a public-private partnership;
= balanced development of activities and research-development infrastructure.
