By Calvin Biesecker
The Defense Department’s Biometrics Task Force (BTF) plans to issue a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeking mature biometric technologies that have the potential for being used in military or business operations within two years as part of its effort to reach out to industry and academia to explore the potential of emerging products, a BTF official said last week.
The first proposals from the BAA will be due March 21 and the BTF plans to leave the solicitation open for two years, Greg Alexander, who supports the Futures Branch within the BTF, said last Thursday at defense biometrics industry say sponsored by the National Defense Industrial Association. The initial proposals will be reviewed in April with awards planned in mid-May.
The industry day was an effort by the BTF to stay in touch with the biometrics industry regarding its programs, policies and needs.
The BTF isn’t interested in proposals regarding basic or applied research, Alexander said. The desired end state is to be able to prove the “technological feasibility” of the systems that receive contracts under the BAA “with an assessment of component operability with potential to transition,” he said.
The BAA will have five focus areas, with the possibility for multiple awards. Alexander said that projects will range in value between $500,000 and $1 million but added that he didn’t have an overall dollar amount that he could commit to. He said that in terms of budget, the evaluation criteria would be the “reasonableness and realism of proposed costs.”
The five focus areas are collection systems, sub-optimal data enhancement, next generation algorithms, biometrics data fusion and biometrics architecture.
For collection systems the BTF is not only seeking the ability to obtain biometric data but also biographical and situational data.
Under the data enhancement area, the BTF wants solutions to poor data quality due to collection and storage difficulties.
For next generation algorithms the BTF is looking to “meet the changing algorithm requirements and develop a product that can be shared across the DoD and federal government,” according to Alexander’s briefing slides.
In the area of data fusion, the BTF wants to bring together multiple biometric modalities and non-biometric data for improved matching and identity analysis.
Under the architecture area, the agency wants “solutions that support a complex and evolving infrastructure.”
Also at the industry day briefing, the Navy said that it has established a new program of record for a biometric-based system it eventually plans to award a contract for called the Identity Dominance System (IDS). The IDS, if it is ultimately funded, developed and procured, would replace the current jump kits Navy boarding parties use in Maritime Interdiction Operations.
The hand carried jump kits, which are supplied by Cross Match Technologies, have various systems that capture fingerprints, iris images and mug shots, as well as a laptop or mini computer that can host a biometric matching database. The jump kits weigh 15 to 20 pounds, depending on the mix of components. The Navy has a “significantly” lighter requirement for the IDS, Capt. John Boyd, the program manager for Naval Information Sharing-People, told Defense Daily.
Boyd, and a Marine Corps officer, Maj. William Coffey, who works biometric issues at Marine Corps headquarters, drove home the point that warriors in the field need products that are lightweight, easy to use, and get the job done quickly.
Initially under IDS the Navy is looking to develop a handheld multi-modal biometric capture device called SIIMON, which stands for System for Intelligence and Identity Management Operations. SIIMON, which would capture fingerprint, face and iris images, would be specifically designed to be able to work in wet environments. In addition, the device must be able to capture 10 rolled fingerprints, which meets the FBI’s standard for enrollment.
The complete IDS would include systems that can capture contextual and associated data, Boyd and Anh Duong, the Navy’s lead for biometrics, said.
Duong is hoping the IDS will become part of the Navy’s FY ’10 Program Objective Memorandum, which means it would have a funding profile over a six-year period. Once a project is established a program of record, it basically secures its own line item in a budget and stands a better chance of receiving steady funding.
Backers of the program are seeking $40 million over that period with a planned purchase of over 250 systems. Initial operating capability would by in 2012. However, she told Defense Daily that the program backers are looking for money this fiscal year and next to possibly accelerate development and fielding of IDS.