Comnetix to Power Research at University of Calgary Biometrics Lab

Comnetix Inc., a leading provider of biometric identification and authentication solutions, announced that the University of Calgary’s Biometric Technologies Laboratory has selected Comnetix’s technology to power its research in the areas of biometric data modeling and simulation.  Comnetix will be providing the lab with a biometric workstation to capture and process digital fingerprint and facial recognition data as part of a contract valued at under C$100,000.  The biometrics workstation, which will incorporate Neven Vision’s facial recognition technologies, is scheduled for delivery by July 31, 2004.

The Biometric Technologies Lab focuses on synthesizing biometric data — for example, modeling fingerprint and signature forgeries as well as aging or surgically changed faces — which is then used for testing biometric systems. A challenge facing many biometric technologies today is that product vendors typically test their systems under very controlled circumstances, or using hypothetical mathematical models.  By using complex simulations of fingerprints, signatures and photographs, the lab is testing today’s biometric technologies under much more real world circumstances.

“The Biometric Technologies Lab is making valuable contributions to the areas of commercial and homeland security, and providing an important support mechanism for Canadian companies,” said Jim Scullion, CEO of Comnetix Inc.  “Its rigorous testing program is helping to validate and commercialize much needed biometric technologies, while providing Canadian biometric companies with the resources to become world leaders.”

Comnetix’s technology will now power virtually all of the lab’s future research and development activities.  The workstation — which includes a live scan fingerprinting device, digital camera and matching engines for fingerprint and facial recognition — will integrate directly with the lab’s databases, artificial intelligence tools for simulation of biometric data, and other analysis systems.

“The Biometric Technologies Lab was an organizer of the world’s first forum focused on synthesis of biometric data in Calgary in June 2004.  The Lab is expected to attract leading undergraduate and graduate students of biometrics, including international students and researchers,” said Svetlana Yanushkevich, professor, head of the Biometric Technologies Lab, and co-author of the first book on inverse problems of biometrics to be published by CRC Press in 2005.  “With Comnetix, we can now expand our capabilities to encompass the two most prevalent identifiers in biometric technologies today … fingerprinting and facial recognition.”

The Biometric Technologies Lab boasts strong support from industry, government and a consortium of internationally recognized groups and academic experts in biometrics, such as Biologically Inspired Systems and Technologies group at NASA’s JPL, the Center of Excellence for Document Analysis and Recognition (State University of NY at Buffalo), College of Information and Computer Science at Northeastern University, and Biometric Digest’s publisher Bill Rogers.  The Lab counts among its funding partners the Canadian Foundation for Innovations, the Province of Alberta, and the National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

About Comnetix Inc. (http://www.Comnetix.com )
Comnetix provides secure criminal identification and authentication hardware and software to law enforcement agencies throughout North America. It also offers secure commercial systems for use in areas such as applicant screening, financial services, health care, transportation, airlines and airports, casinos and gaming, and energy/utilities.  Clients include American Airlines, Lehman Brothers, New York State Health and Hospital Corporation, New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services, Toronto Police Services Board, Boston Police Department, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Comnetix offers packaged and custom-designed multimode biometric identification systems.

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