Positioning Company to Pursue Significant U.S. Government Initiatives including the Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Program
WALL, N.J., -- BIO-key International, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BKYI), a leader in finger-based biometric identification and wireless public safety, today announced that its patented fingerprint matching algorithm has received Minutiae Interoperability Exchange (MINEX) Certification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) resulting in compliance with the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS 201) and Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12.
NIST established MINEX, in support of HSPD-12, as an on-going testing and validation program for fingerprint algorithms using datasets collected by such agencies as the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State (DoS). The purpose of the MINEX validation program is to determine the ability of a particular fingerprint algorithm to conform to the interchange standards established by NIST for fingerprint information between different fingerprint matching systems. This capability is an essential requirement of the HSPD-12 personal identity solution as defined by the US Government.
BIO-key’s implementation is unique since it not only includes BIO-key’s patented advanced image enhancement, which yields high accuracy and low failure rates, but it also interfaces with every major fingerprint reader manufacturer. This provides the ability to support a broad base of hardware configurations giving integrators and application developers the widest variety of options. In addition, BIO-key supports the INCITS 378 templates on Windows, Linux and Windows CE platforms.
“BIO-key is committed to satisfy commercial and government requirements for standards and interoperability,” said Mira LaCous, Vice President of Technology and Development for BIO-key. “BIO-key’s core competencies of cross platform support, mobile device integration and large scale identification, as well as traditional two-factor verification solutions are important to integrators and system developers looking to deploy solutions that are compliant with the MINEX standard.”
Michael DePasquale, BIO-key’s CEO and President added, “The validation of our algorithms by NIST strengthens BIO-key’s position in existing projects such as those managed by FiXs, the federated credentialing service led by Northrop Grumman along with EDS and SRA International. Additionally, MINEX compliance is required in a host of other key projects where BIO-key is engaged including programs such as TSA, TWIC and the first responder ID homeland security initiative.”
About BIO-key
BIO-key develops and delivers advanced identification solutions and information services to law enforcement departments, public safety agencies, government and private sector customers. BIO-key’s mobile wireless technology provides first responders with critical, reliable, real-time data and images from local, state and national databases. BIO-key’s high-performance, scalable, cost-effective and easy-to-deploy biometric finger identification technology accurately identifies and authenticates users of wireless and enterprise data to improve security, convenience and privacy and to reduce identity theft. Over 2,500 police, fire and emergency services departments in North America use BIO-key solutions, making BIO-key the leading supplier of mobile and wireless solutions for public safety worldwide. (http://www.bio-key.com)
BIO-key Safe Harbor Statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected on the basis of these statements. The words “estimate,” “project,” “intends,” “expects,” “believes” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made based on management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management pursuant to the “safe-harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For a more complete description of these and other risk factors that may affect the future performance of BIO-key International, see “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-KSB and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company also undertakes no obligation to disclose any revision to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.