4G Identity Solutions Wins India Unique ID Devices Contract

4G Identity Solutions (‘4G ID’) has won two bids to provide both fingerprint and iris recognition devices to the Unique Identification Authority of India (‘UIDAI’) as it undertakes building the world’s largest national registry. These devices will be used in the UIDAI Proof of Concept (‘PoC’) tests. The objective of the UID feasibility tests is to establish a definitive baseline for biometric data quality under Indian conditions. Subsequent to those tests, the devices and the data collected in the PoC will be used in the UIDAI’s biometrics Center of Competence.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has been set up by the Government of India with a mandate to issue a unique identification number to all 1.2 billion residents of India. A key requirement of the Unique ID system is to eliminate duplicate identities in order to improve the efficacy of service delivery under numerous federal and state programs. UIDAI has chosen to capture iris, fingerprint and facial biometric features as the primary mechanisms for ensuring uniqueness. In December 2009, UIDAI invited global bids for supply, installation and commissioning of biometric & fingerprint devices. Nineteen companies participated in the bidding process, which 4G ID won.

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Dr Sreeni Tripuraneni, CEO of 4G ID, said, “The size, diversity and nature of India’s population, and adverse field conditions each add unique challenges to achieving uniqueness through biometric features. We at 4G ID know this because of our substantial experience in large-scale biometrics in India. 4G ID is pleased to be able to offer the expertise it has gained in building the world’s largest biometric ID database in India.”

India cannot leverage other countries’ experiences in designing the UIDAI’s biometrics systems and processes. Those experiences simply do not exist in terms of scale, diversity, and environmental conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to test devices and enrolment processes in various Indian environments. The UIDAI will use the biometric devices to establish a definitive baseline and answer three questions: What practices will result in the optimum quality of captured biometric information? What level of accuracy can be expected by using fingerprints, iris, and a combination of fingerprints and iris? How does this accuracy vary across certain demographic traits such as gender, age and occupation?