The International Organisation for Standardisation ('ISO') published, on 7 February 2020, international standards ISO/IEC 39794-1, ISO/IEC 39794-4, and ISO/IEC 39794-5 ('the Standards') for biometric data interchange formats.In particular, the ISO outlined that the Standards provide a common language allowing for the interoperability between different biometric technologies. Moreover, the ISO highlighted that the Standards are the first of an additional series, and that they address, among other things, finger and face image data.These standards will supersede the corresponding parts of the ISO/IEC 19794 series for data interchange formats, and it is anticipated they will be adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as the basis for their standard 9303 on machine-readable travel documents later this year.The ISO/IEC 39794 series will be complemented by future additions, including specific parts related to iris, vascular, full body and gait image data.Patrick Grother, Chair of the ISO/IEC technical committee responsible for the ISO/IEC 39794 series, said it is the latest in a large and comprehensive set of International Standards that support interoperability in biometrics.”We intend to have internationally agreed standards for all biometric modalities, taking into account the diverse range of applications, the often sensitive nature of the data and the various regulatory and jurisdictional requirements,” he said.The ISO/IEC 39794 series was developed by joint ISO/IEC technical committee JTC 1, Information technology, subcommittee SC 37, Biometrics, the secretariat of which is held by ANSI, ISO's member for the USA. The standards can be purchased from your national ISO member or through the ISO Store.
ISO publishes standards on biometric data
