JPEG2000 is an ISO/IEC image compression standard referenced by biometrics standards for face and iris image compression.  Several published technical reports cite the superior performance of JPEG2000 as compared to JPEG for the compression of these images. 

Key JPEG2000 features for biometric image compression

• Up to 50% smaller image files than JPEGs of the same image quality
  [See Figure 1]
  
• Accurate file size targeting
  
• Accurate image quality targeting
  
• Performs beyond compression ratios where JPEG breaks down, enabling compression of high-resolution images
  
• Multiple image and formats can be extracted from a single JPEG2000 image file; lossy or lossless, color or grayscale, thumbnails, etc. 
  
• Region of Interest encoding allows different compression ratios for different areas of the image [See Figure 2]
  
• Advanced error resiliency features prevent file damage during transmission in noisy environments
  

To receive more information about Aware's biometrics compression products please contact us.