BKBIOMTR.RVW   20031018

"Biometrics", Samir Nanavati/Michael Thieme/Raj Nanavati, 2002,
0-471-09945-7, U$34.99/C$54.50
%A   Samir Nanavati
%A   Michael Thieme
%A   Raj Nanavati
%C   5353 Dundas Street West, 4th Floor, Etobicoke, ON   M9B 6H8
%D   2002
%G   0-471-09945-7
%I   John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%O   U$34.99/C$54.50 416-236-4433 fax: 416-236-4448
%O  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471099457/robsladesinterne
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471099457/robsladesinte-21
%O   http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471099457/robsladesin03-20
%P   300 p.
%T   "Biometrics"

Part one deals with the fundamentals of biometrics.  Chapter one
presents a brief rationale for the use of the technology.  Biometric
concepts are given in chapter two, but only the most basic.  In
chapter three's look at accuracy there are standard metrics as well as
a few unusual ones (and some non-standard jargon).

Part two reviews the various biometric technologies.  Chapters four
through nine cover fingerprint scanning, face recognition (although it
fails to cover the selection of skin areas, or the characteristics of
eigenfaces), iris scanning, voiceprint, other physical factors (hand
geometry, retina scanning, and an odd inclusion of the automated
fingerprint identification system), and behavioral characteristics
(signature and keystroke).

Part three outlines biometric applications and markets.  Chapter ten
tries to categorize biometric uses and ends up being scattered and
confusing.  "Citizen-Facing Applications," in chapter eleven, turns
out to involve law enforcement and government surveillance.  Likewise,
in chapters twelve and thirteen, "Employee-Facing Applications" refers
to employee monitoring and "Customer-Facing Applications" drifts
around some issues related to identity verification for commerce. 
Chapter fourteen presents law enforcement, government, the financial
industry, healthcare, and travel as being vertical markets for
biometrics.

Part four touches on privacy and standards, with privacy risks in
chapter fifteen, designing biometrics for privacy in sixteen, and some
proposed standards in seventeen.

This text provides broad but superficial coverage of the topic.  The
non-standard terminology (verification instead of authentication, and
false match rate rather than false acceptance rate) may be confusing,
but the totally meaningless phrases (citizen-, employee-, and
customer-facing applications) are probably even more so.  While other
book-length treatments of the subject are rare, it is difficult to see
that this work adds much value to the discussion, especially compared
with superior articles (such as "Biometric Identification" by Donald
R. Richards, printed in the "Information Security Management Handbook"
[cf. BKINSCMH.RVW]) which do.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 2003   BKBIOMTR.RVW   20031018