44. Memorandum submitted by
the UK Passport Service
UKPS BIOMETRICS TRIAL BRIEF
BACKGROUND
The Government has taken the first steps to
lay the foundations for a compulsory identity card scheme and
has launched a trial of biometrics enrolment involving 10,000
volunteers.
The six-month trial, run by the UK Passport
Service (UKPS) will test facial, iris and fingerprint recording
and recognition. Each volunteer will receive a personalised smart
card carrying both printed and electronic information. Results
from the trial will help inform UKPS plans to improve identity
authentication and counter identity fraud, and build a base for
the Government's national identity cards scheme.
OBJECTIVES OF
THE TRIAL
— to demonstrate how biometrics collection
would integrate with a "front end" application process;
— to engage with the public and record
their opinions on introduction of biometrics as a unique identifier;
and
— to advise on customer service requirements
and expectations and provide detailed information on throughput
times for costing and logistic purposes.
PERFORMANCE TO
DATE
The UKPS scheduled the trial to start on 2 February
with the first fixed unit installed in UKPS Globe House (London
Passport Office). This was to be followed after proving (two weeks)
with the Leicester Post Office facility then Newcastle Registry
Office and the DVLA local office in Glasgow.
The equipment was fully tested pre-delivery
by the main contractor (ATOS Origin). However, after it was installed
in Globe House for site tests, there were a series of hardware,
software and ergonomic problems leading to inconsistent enrolment.
Remedial actions to cure these problems on site
continued for several weeks when after further tests the system
was withdrawn and given back to ATOS Origin for further development
and reconfiguration.
THE MAJOR
CHANGES
Iris
The camera model has been changed to facilitate
more customer interaction and a more user-friendly experience.
The background in the enrolment pod has been altered to give a
consistent texture. Checking of the images for quality at the
camera interface has been introduced to speed up the process.
Several releases of software have been evaluated and a final upgrade
installed.
Facial recognition
Resolution and focus of the camera have been
adjusted to give the best combination for facial detail capture.
The verification threshold has been reduced on the advice of the
equipment provider.
Fingerprint
The process has been altered to facilitate the
re-taking of single digits if a problem with print quality occurs.
This has improved the enrolment rate. The compression of the prints
prior to transmission has also been reduced to provide more relevant
data for the checks. This has increased the transmission time
of the data for enrolment.
CURRENT STATUS
The reconfigured process passed factory tests
at ATOS Origin and was re-installed in Globe House on 1st April.
UKPS biometric advisers subsequently passed the system fit for
public enrolment subject to further testing. From 1 April until
15 April UKPS have enrolled in excess of 200 internal volunteers
with satisfactory results.
ROLLOUT
Testing will continue using internal volunteers
(enrolled as part of the trial) until Friday 22 April. The trial
will go live to the public on Monday 26 April
Rollout of fixed sites will be Newcastle Registrars
Office 3 May; Leicester Post Office 10 May and DVLA Local Office
Glasgow 17 May.
The mobile unit will start operation on 4 June
in Belfast.
The initial report will be delivered on 4 June
and the final report on 17 September.
April 2004
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