Subj : Re: Presenting a new(?) idea for free open source software development. To : comp.programming From : Bob McConnell Date : Wed Aug 10 2005 12:02 am On Mon, 08 Aug 2005 12:30:23 -0500, Duane Bozarth wrote: >Bob McConnell wrote: >... >> >> There are devices available with the BioAPI that already do this. But >> they hash the written image and compare it with the recorded template >> inside of the box with the touchscreen. I wrote my signature on one at >> Target just yesterday. > >Do they really do a comparison, though? I thought they simply were an >electronic capture only replacing the hardcopy... There are two parts to the API, enroll and verify. Identify is also defined, but not supported by most devices. The devices I am currently working with store the template with an ID from the enrollment, then you input the ID and present your hand to compare it for verification. The compare returns a score that indicates how close they were. If the score is with the acceptable range, the ID is considered valid. Now, there are numerous devices, and they support a wide variety of options. You can store the templates in the readers or in a database. In either case you can compare the stored template with a live scan in the reader or in the host system. In some cases, the stored templates are updated after a successful read. So far I have seen specs for hand profile readers, finger print readers and signature capture. I am sure there are more out there. A Google search on BIOAPI should return lots of options. Bob McConnell N2SPP .