Glossary |
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| Term | Definition |
| Accuracy | A catch-all phrase for describing how well a biometric system performs. The actual statistic for performance will vary by task (verification, open-set identification (watchlist), and closed-set identification). See also d prime, detection error trade-off (DET), detect and identification rate, equal error rate, false acceptance rate (FAR), false alarm rate (FAR), false match rate, false non-match rate, false reject rate, identification rate, performance, verification rate. |
| Active Authentication | Uses a challenge/response mechanism based on public key cryptography and digital signatures. It provides proof that the document is not copied and refers to the correct IC. |
| Advanced Passenger Information System | With APIS, passenger and crew travel document data is read by the airlines, temporarily saved, and then transmitted within 15 minutes of aircraft takeoff to the customs and border authorities of the destination country. Increasing numbers of countries are demanding this data. |
| Advanced Passenger Profiling (APP) | Prior to boarding, the airline or shipping company sends the data contained in the travel documents of passengers and crew to the border control authorities. Passengers are not allowed to board if they do not have a valid visa or are not permitted to enter the country of destination for any other reason. |
| AFIS | This system is used by law enforcement agencies to compare fingerprints. Instead of performing a one-to-one match, it checks a fingerprint against a whole database of stored prints and gives a list of the most likely owners of that print. |
| Algorithm | A limited sequence of instructions or steps that tells a computer system how to solve a particular problem. A biometric system will have multiple algorithms, for example: image processing, template generation, comparisons, etc. |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute. A private, non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. The mission of ANSI is to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity. |
| API | Application Programming Interface. Formatting instructions or tools used by an application developer to link and build hardware or software applications. |
| APIS Quick Query (AQQ) | During the check-in process and up to 15 minutes before boarding, AQQ enables airlines and shipping companies to send the data from passenger travel documents to the US Customs and Border Protection before departing to receive entry approval. |
| Authentication | The process whereby an individual, a card or a terminal is checked to ensure that he/she or it is an authorised person or device. |
