Products > Biometrics Software > M1Pack

Software providing full compliance with ANSI/INCITS and ISO/IEC SC 37 biometrics standards

M1Pack is a software toolkit that can be used to manage biometric data in full compliance with the ANSI/INCITS and ISO/IEC 1 SC 37 biometric data interchange standards. M1Pack provides the ability to read, write, and validate ANSI/INCITS and ISO/IEC SC 37 compliant biometric data. It also includes WSQ, JPEG2000, and JPEG software for the compression of biometric images. 

These biometric standards, initially developed by US INCITS committee “M1”, are in the process of becoming international standards through the ISO/IEC biometrics standards setting body, “SC 37”. The INCITS and ISO/IEC versions are similar, but currently have subtle differences.

The table below shows the INCITS M1 standard number and name next to the equivalent ISO/IEC SC 37 standard number and name.

These standards specify the formatting of biometric data objects that contain biometric images and technical metadata that describe the biometric and the equipment used to generate it. They can be interchanged as standalone objects or embedded as payloads within larger data interchange standards such as the ICAO LDS, used for the new e-passport. Each of these INCITS and ISO/IEC SC 37 biometric objects is wrapped with a CBEFF file header. 

M1Pack provides systems integrators and government agencies with software tools that can be used to easily create a standard-compliant enrollment station, verification station, or gateway server. It also includes useful quality assurance tools, such as fingerprint image quality scoring and file compliance verification. 

M1Pack allows a system to evolve as the standards evolve and to support different interpretations or "not-fully-compliant" versions of these interchange standards. With its flexible design, M1Pack eliminates the necessity to hardcode ANSI/INCITS and ISO/IEC SC 37 compliance into an application. It helps mitigate concerns about proper data formatting and future system modifications to support different versions or interpretations of the standard.

The M1Pack configuration is editable to support changes to the standards. Support for data fields can be added or removed. Supported character types, codes, string lengths and the status of mandatory or optional fields can be changed through the configuration file.

M1Pack is bundled with the following Aware components:

• FBI-compliant WSQ for 500 ppi fingerprint images 
  
• FBI-compliant JPEG2000 for 1000 ppi fingerprint images or color facial and iris images
• Aware fingerprint image quality scoring 
  

• Software development kit with example programs and documentation

• Easy to use and understand 

• Re-entrant and threat safe

• Programmable in C/C++, Java, VB, and .NET

• Supports multiple finger images and finger minutiae data sets

• Ensures file structure and integrity

• Provides ISO/IEC or CBEFF/INCITS-M1 file packing

• Provides ISO/IEC or CBEFF/INCITS-M1 file unpacking

• Provides ISO/IEC or CBEFF/INCITS-M1 file reformatting

  - Provides conversion from proprietary formats to INCITS/M1 format

  - Provides conversion from INCITS/M1 to NIST/EFTS format

  - Import/Export of common image formats

• CBEFF/INCITS-M1 file content verification

• Includes Aware WSQ and Aware JPEG2000 compression engines

• Includes Aware fingerprint image quality API

Screen shot showing the Finger Image Record with the Finger Minutiae Record contents overlaid on it. Note that each record typed is stored as a separate object within a CBEFF or other patron type and that each record type can be interchanged independently of the other. M1Pack supports multiple instances of each record type. Source code to this example program is included in the SDK.
Screen shot showing technical metadata for finger image record