On September 18, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a request for information (RFI) for biometric identity research and development (BIRD). Responses are due by 12:00 p.m. Eastern on October 18.
As a program within DHS, the Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) supports DHS’s mission to protect our nation by providing biometric and biographic identification services to federal, state, and local government decision makers to help them accurately identify the people they encounter and determine whether those people pose a risk to the United States. OBIM’s most visible service is the collection of biometrics—digital fingerprints, facial, and iris —from international travelers at United States visa-issuing posts and ports of entry. Collecting this information helps immigration officers determine whether a person is eligible to receive a visa or enter the United States. The biometric collection process is simple, convenient, and secure.
OBIM’s Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) manages biometric identity information for over 262 million individuals, making it one of the largest biometric repositories globally. OBIM is collaborating with OCIO to transition from IDENT to the Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology (HART) system. This upgrade will shift from hardware-based matching to a cloud-based microservice architecture. As OBIM expands its biometric identity management services to incorporate additional modalities and stakeholders, active involvement in standards development organizations—such as the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), International Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)—is crucial. This engagement supports OBIM’s long-term goals for a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and aligns with the IDENT Identity eXchange Messaging (IXM) application profile, which facilitates communication with the OBIM/IDENT system. IXM is an XML-based message exchange format that provides a manageable, standards-based interface for OBIM’s services.
The purpose of this RFI is to collect information from Academia, Scientific, Technical, Engineering, and Industry to support current and future technical and operational biometric outcomes. OBIM is interested in experienced and capable vendors to respond to this RFI.
Review the DHS BIRD RFI.
Source: SAM
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