Securing a restricted site - biometric authentication at entry point

Abstract

We evaluated the performance of a commercially available facial recognition algorithm for the verification of an individual's identity (1:1) across three illumination levels. Existing facial recognition technology from still or video sources is becoming a practical tool for law enforcement, security, and counter-terrorist applications despite the limitations of current technology. At this time, facial recognition holds promise and has been implemented in limited applications, but has not been exhaustively researched in adverse conditions, which has initiated continuing research aimed at improving algorithms to compare images or representations of images to recognize a suspect [Paul, R. (2002)]. This evaluation examines the influence of variances in illumination levels on the performance of a facial recognition algorithm, specifically with respect to factors of age, gender, ethnicity, facial characteristics, and facial obstructions.