Neurotechnologija announce MegaMatcher 2.0 large-scale AFIS and multi-biometric face-fingerprint recognition SDK

(29/01/2007)

Neurotechnologija has announced the availability of MegaMatcher 2.0 SDK for the development of large-scale automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS) and multi-biometric face-fingerprint identification systems.

MegaMatcher 2.0 includes both fingerprint and face identification engines with a fusion algorithm that allows the two technologies to work together to provide very fast 1:N (1 to many) matching with even higher reliability than AFIS or facial recognition alone.

MegaMatcher’s powerful fused algorithm can produce up to 400,000 matches per second on a single processor PC; and with MegaMatcher 2.0’s fault-tolerant, scalable cluster software, this number can be multiplied across multiple PCs to perform extremely fast, parallel fingerprint and face matching using databases of practically unlimited size.

With the increasing demand for automated biometrical identification systems for both forensic and civil applications, such as crime scene investigations, border crossings, passport and visa documentation, election control systems and even credit card transactions, the need for both fast and accurate identification is ever more critical.

While AFIS have been widely used for the past two decades, multi-biometric systems that incorporate both face and fingerprint identification offer a number of advantages. Using the multi-biometric technology in MegaMatcher 2.0, developers and integrators can create systems where both face and fingerprint can be scanned at the same time using inexpensive hardware such as a fingerprint scanner and a simple Webcam or photo scanner (for example, scanning a passport photo).

A multi-biometric system based on MegaMatcher 2.0 provides both greater convenience and matching speed for the user and a much higher level of security, even when using very large databases, because the fusion of both face and fingerprint provides unambiguous identification.

The face and fingerprint algorithms in MegaMatcher 2.0 are Neurotechnologija’s most powerful algorithms to date and include a number of enhanced features to ensure higher quality and accuracy in both enrollment and matching. New fingerprint measurement tools improve recognition by enabling poor fingerprints to be rejected at the enrollment stage.

The new template generalization tool facilitates faster, more accurate matching by enabling a much higher quality template to be created from just a few fingerprints or faces. The MegaMatcher 2.0 fingerprint algorithm is tolerant to fingerprint translation, rotation and deformation and has the ability to match between rolled and flat fingerprints.

Compared to the fingerprint-only algorithm in MegaMatcher 1.1, the MegaMatcher 2.0 algorithm offers considerably higher reliability in both fingerprint and multi-biometric modes. When using fingerprints only, the False Rejection Rate (FRR) in MegaMatcher 2.0 is up to six times lower than MegaMatcher 1.1 when set to the same False Acceptance Rate (FAR) level. In the multi-biometric mode, at the same FAR level, the FRR decreases by 10 to 100 times compared to the previous version.

The fast MegaMatcher 2.0 algorithm also provides significant economies of scale (and hardware price) when using the system in a cluster. For example, an application that required 100 PC cluster nodes for MegaMatcher 1.1 would require only 15 nodes when using MegaMatcher 2.0.

Enhancements to the MegaMatcher 2.0 SDK make it easier to work with fingerprints both during and after enrollment. When multiple fingerprints have been scanned at the same time, the new fingerprint segmentation functionality in MegaMatcher 2.0 can automatically segment them into separate fingerprints. And for forensic applications, MegaMatcher 2.0 includes an API for the editing of latent fingerprint templates, such as those collected from crime scenes.

“The potential uses for multi-biometric capabilities with a large-scale AFIS are enormous,” said Algimantas Malickas, CEO of Neurotechnologija. “So with the new MegaMatcher 2.0 SDK we’ve worked hard to make it easier than ever for developers and integrators to put this powerful functionality in their systems.”

MegaMatcher 2.0 is fully compatible with other Neurotechnologija products, including VeriFinger, VeriLook and the recently announced embedded development kits FaceCell and FingerCell 2.0. All components of MegaMatcher 2.0 can be used on both Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems, and the SDK also includes an improved component set for simpler and faster integration.

MegaMatcher 2.0 includes .NET components for rapid development of client side software. And to ensure compatibility with other companies’ AFIS software, a WSQ library and modules for conversion between the MegaMatcher template and ANSI standards (ANSI/NIST ITL-1-2000 and ANSI/INCITS 378-2004) are also included. MegaMatcher 2.0 supports CrossMatch, Digital Persona and more than 20 other fingerprint scanners.

MegaMatcher 2.0 is available now through Neurotechnologija or from distributors worldwide.

Related topics:  Access Control   Biometric Systems   Security market sectors 

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