Aware, Inc. – Biometrics Software

SDK for PIV ID Card Personalization, Reading, and Certified Middleware in Full Compliance with FIPS 201 and Companion Standards

PIVPack™ is a software development kit (SDK) designed to enable system developers with formatting, validating, and parsing of biometric, biographic, and security object data in compliance with FIPS201 and companion documents SP 800-76 and SP 800-73. PIVPack also includes “Smart Card Library”, a NIST-certified PIV Middleware API.

PIVPack can be used to incorporate this data formatting and security functionality into PIV registration, personalization, and card reader applications. PIVPack can also be used to create equivalent XML files, such as for registration data transport.

The PIVPack toolkit is designed upon Aware’s experience building software tools to support other biometric data interchange standards, several of which form the basis of FIPS 201 and its companion standards. (See NISTPack, ICAOPack, M1Pack).

Biometric Data Objects

Biometric Data Formatting
All data formatting, reading, and writing performed by PIVPack is managed by XML-based configuration files that describe the details of the data object to be created, parsed or validated. The biometric facial image must be compliant with ANSI/INCITS 385. The fingerprint images must be compliant with ANSI/INCITS 381 and retained for archival purposes. The fingerprint templates stored on the card must be compliant with ANSI/INCITS 378. Each object must be “wrapped” with a PIV Patron Format variant of CBEFF.

PIVPack enables system designers to build this compliant data formatting and parsing into their workflow through a simple API and “transaction engine” that loads a configuration file for each object and then provides the ability to read/write the data element in each object by calling the mnemonics that define each element.

Biographic Data Formatting
The following diagram is the PIV card data model specified by NIST SP 800-73.
PIVPack enables the ability to read/write the data containers specified.

PIV Data Model

Biometric Security Library
Several of the data containers on the PIV card must be signed. To address this requirement, PIVPack includes a supplemental library called “Biometric Security Library” which implements compliant encryption and hashing algorithms to verify the signatures and the SOD. PIVPack parses the data and accesses the certificates for use by the Biometric Security Library. Additionally, the Biometric Security Library can utilize the document signing certificates and the private keys provided by the PKI to sign the data objects.

PIVPack Components

PIVPack includes several components useful for enrollment, personalization, and card reading:

Data collection and error checking according to SP 800-73 and SP 800-76
PIV file formatting and reading in full compliance with SP 800-73 and SP 800-76 for PIV ID card personalization
Fingerprint minutiae extraction (optional add-on) and template creation in compliance with ANSI/INCITS 378 (MINEX certification pending)
Security object generation and PKI authentication in compliance with SP 800-73
Certified PIV middleware API
PC/SC smart card interface

As with other Aware software tools, PIVPack includes APIs for C, C+/.Net and COM. UNIX libraries are built upon request. The toolkit includes example programs with source code that are useful as a guide to proper usage and integration into a larger system.

Also included with PIVPack are FBI-certified WSQ for the compression/decompression of the fingerprint images and JPEG/JPEG2000 for the compression/decompression of facial images.

Aware JPEG2000 includes region of interest (ROI) compression as recommended in SP 800-76 for optional storage of facial images on ID card memory.

Other Aware Products for PIV
PIVPack can be used seamlessly with other Aware software components:

PreFace, used to analyze and optimize facial images and assure
their compliance with ANSI/INCITS 385
FastCapture for ultra-fast tenprint capture using a livescan device
NISTPack to generate EFTS/FBI-compliant FBI background check submissions
Biometric Service Platform (BioSP) to transport and store registration data to a
central location such as an IDMS or ID card personalization system,
and EFTS files for background checks to FBI and OPM
Aware XM to generate MINEX-certified finger templates from finger images

PIVPack is included in Aware's PIVSuite family of SDKs.

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

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