Frequently Asked Questions
1.What is the BioAPI Consortium and what are its goals?
2.Is BioAPI membership open to all interested organizations? How does an organization become a member?
3.What is the timeline for completion of the BioAPI specification?
4.What is the anticipated scope and availability of the BioAPI reference implementation?
5.What is the plan for submission of the BioAPI specification to an external standards group?
6.How will existing biometric API standards be integrated into BioAPI?
7.How does BioAPI relate to other identification and authentication standards?
8.How do the efforts to define common biometric exchange formats sponsored by NIST/ITL, the Biometric Consortium, and other national and international organizations relate to the BioAPI activity?
9.Is it a goal of BioAPI to provide complete plug and play compatibility of biometric technologies?
10.Where can I obtain more information about the BioAPI Consortium and how can my organization join?
11.How do I register my BioAPI Format?
1.What is the BioAPI Consortium and what are its goals?
The BioAPI Consortium is a group of over 120 organizations that have a common interest in promoting the growth of the biometrics market. BioAPI is dedicated to developing a specification for a standardized Application Programming Interface (API) that will be compatible with a wide range of biometric application programs and a broad spectrum of biometric technologies. The API description defines how application programmers and biometric solution vendors write to the common BioAPI interface. The BioAPI runtime framework will allow applications to interoperate with various biometric solutions.
2.Is BioAPI membership open to all interested organizations? How does an organization become a member?
Membership is open to all interested organizations, and new members are invited to join BioAPI and participate in this important process. The original tiered membership structure, which included Promoter, Contributor, and Adopter levels, has been replaced with a single membership classification that applies to current and future Members. Operations of the Consortium are managed by a seven-member steering committee elected by the Membership. There are at present no fees associated with membership, though execution of the BioAPI Member Agreement is required. To obtain more information and request a copy of the Member Agreement, please contact a BioAPI Member organization (see list of current Members).
3.What is the timeline for completion of the BioAPI specification?
Version 1.0 of the Specification was published in March, 2000. Source code for the Reference Implementation is planned for release in the second half of 2000.
4.What is the anticipated scope and availability of the BioAPI reference implementation?
Completion of a reference implementation is considered an essential step in creation of the BioAPI standard, and a working group of five member companies is now at work on the implementation.
5.What is the plan for submission of the BioAPI specification to an external standards group?
It is the intention of the BioAPI consortium to submit its completed specification for adoption by a recognized standards group. A liaison committee for interface with external standards groups has been formed, chaired by Fernando Podio of NIST, co-chair of the Biometric Consortium. The committee will investigate the various avenues for standardization and recommend a standardization plan to the BioAPI Consortium.
6.How will existing biometric API standards be integrated into BioAPI?
BioAPI Version 1.0 will support existing HA-API implementations through the inclusion of a HA-API compatibility mode so that current HA-API Version 1.03 applications can work unmodified against the newest BioAPI-compliant biometrics technologies.
7.How does BioAPI relate to other identification and authentication standards?
Security considerations will be central to the development of both the application and device levels of the BioAPI standard. The relationship between BioAPI and other identification and authentication standards which incorporate biometrics, such as CDSA/UAS, PAM/XSSO, and MS CAPI, will be a topic to be considered by the external liaison committee described in (5) above.
8.How do the efforts to define common biometric exchange formats sponsored by NIST/ITL, the Biometric Consortium, and other national and international organizations relate to the BioAPI activity?
The BioAPI consortium is fully supportive of industry efforts to define biometrics data interchange standards that will facilitate the implementation, adoption, and compatibility of biometric technologies. It is the intent of the BioAPI consortium to assure compatibility of the BioAPI standard with common biometric exchange formats such as may be proposed by NIST/ITL and the Biometric Consortium. Responsibility for identifying these standards efforts and communicating with their sponsors will rest with the liaison committee described in (5) above.
9.Is it a goal of BioAPI to provide complete plug and play compatibility of biometric technologies?
Plug and play compatibility among various biometric technologies and applications programs is the goal of the BioAPI standard. The functional differences, however, between different applications and different biometric technologies may limit their interchangeability.
10.Where can I obtain more information about the BioAPI Consortium and how can my organization join?
For more information on participating in the BioAPI Consortium, see Membership Agreement.
11.How do I register my BioAPI Format?
Registration is managed by the IBIA. Launch http://www.ibia.org/biometrics/formatregistry.asp to visit their Web site.