Biometric Identification: High Seas Security

An intruder attempts to smuggle himself aboard a US Navy ship. He skulks toward the bridge planning to sneak in with a fake ID. But the would-be intruder fails thanks to evolving technology, the Navy's foresight — and a new Booz Allen study for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR). The study aimed to find the most accurate and efficient biometric security systems for the Navy's fleet.

Like a high-tech lock, biometric systems control access to a computer or a physical space by verifying a person's identity. Biometric devices "read" an individual's fingerprints, voice, eyes, or other characteristics — even the way they type — and then transform the information into mathematical formulas that are stored in a computer. Each time a person uses a device, it matches the biometric information against the original sample. If the device matches the traits to the original, access is granted.

"It's exciting equipment," says Bill Monas, the Booz Allen project lead. "It's the stuff we've seen depicted as cutting-edge technology in the movies over the last decade."

Don Waymire, the Booz Allen task manager for the study, says the Navy chose Booz Allen because of the biometric work the firm is conducting in its in-house lab. In addition, the firm's San Diego office already is supporting other SPAWAR technology projects.

Ramping Up

Navy officials wanted to ramp up security — "The number one advantage of biometrics is it's a more positive form of identity," Waymire explains. "It's hard to counterfeit."

Someday, biometrics may substitute for the Navy's current password system. Sailors could use biometric devices instead of memorizing the litany of ever-changing passwords and PIN codes they now use to log on to a shared computer or enter a sensitive room.

Although biometric systems had been used in land-based offices, no one knew how they would function at sea, given the environmental conditions there and the Navy's unique requirements. First, Booz Allen tested several manufacturers' devices in the firm's McLean, VA, smartcard and biometrics laboratory. Then the team took the devices to sea. They measured the environmental factors — including temperature, wind, light, and vibration — in each area of the ship that would affect the devices' accuracy.

The Right Biometrics

Some devices were ruled out at that point. The study found that voice detection devices would fail in most shipboard environments due to the loud background noise. Facial recognition was ruled out due to lighting quality. The small group of devices that passed those tests was then assessed aboard the USS Coronado, a San Diego-based ship that tries out many of the Navy's high-tech innovations.

Booz Allen also analyzed how well the devices operated in each part of the ship and ranked them for their compatibility with other operating systems, ease of installation, cost, false acceptance rates, and other factors.

When testing was completed, Booz Allen recommended iris readers and fingerprint scanners as the best biometric forms to meet the Navy's access needs. The devices will soon be put through more pilot tests on the Coronado and likely on other ships. If the devices pass, biometrics eventually could provide security on virtually every vessel in the fleet.

story posted March 2001