DOD opens biometrics site

DOD Biometrics Knowledgebase System

The Defense Department's Biometrics Fusion Center this week announced that its DOD Biometrics Knowledgebase System is now open to all government personnel.

The Web site, protected by Secure Sockets Layer, became accessible to all government users with .gov or .mil addresses on June 30.

The site is DOD's primary authoritative source of information on biometric test and evaluation methods and reports, enterprise working group progress, biometrics policy and strategic direction, and biometric program implementation plans and schedules.

Army Maj. Stephen Ferrell, the center's director, said the site should be used "for the exchange of information between the DOD biometrics program community and DOD establishment at large."

The Biometrics Senior Coordinating Group and Biometrics Enterprise Working Groups began using the first iteration of the system Feb. 3. Biometrics Fusion Center personnel have been fine-tuning the site's technical elements since then to incorporate user feedback and publish the initial stages of device testing and evaluation methods, Ferrell said.

The Biometrics Knowledgebase System features biometric overviews, frequently asked questions, tutorials, and details of different DOD testing methods, including outlines of proprietary report data from Biometrics Fusion Center evaluations.

The site also includes DOD policy requirements, Common Access Card testing, and file sharing and calendar functionality for international, government-based biometric working groups.

More than 100 registered users are on the site, and based on workload analysis and internal studies, DOD anticipates 10,000 user registration requests a year, according to a Biometrics Fusion Center spokesman. Of those 10,000 requests, about half will qualify for an account, which would give them access to the reports section, he said.

The Biometrics Fusion Center, located in Bridgeport, W.V., is the testing and evaluation facility for DOD's Biometrics Management Office.