Automated Fingerprint ID Market to Reach $160M

The automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) marketplace is expected to reach $160 million annually by 2010, according to a report released today by INPUT, the authority on government business. With a steady stream of opportunities emerging over the next four years, INPUT expects the state & local justice and public safety AFIS market to grow to $100 million while the AFIS market for all other state & local verticals is anticipated to hit $60 million. Technology evolution and the transition from manually processing rolled fingerprint cards to fully digital processes is the driving force behind the market growth.
“In state & local, this transition marks the beginning of a true lifecycle-oriented approach to justice and public safety AFIS that will involve fewer long-term overhauls and more technology upgrades and refreshes every three to five years,” said Chris Dixon, senior industry analyst at INPUT. “More sophisticated jurisdictions will also begin implementing vendor-neutral and standards-based architectures that will allow them to plug-and-play various AFIS components rather than be locked into a particular proprietary system throughout their jurisdiction.”
The AFIS market growth outside of the state & local justice and public safety vertical reflects an increasing public demand for immigration and visitor control at all levels. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are already sharing fingerprint records as part of the FBI’s Next Generation Identification (NGI) transformation, and a growing need to share fingerprint records across all governmental boundaries will drive an emerging need for AFIS interoperability for latent fingerprint queries. Latent fingerprints are the key to identifying individuals with criminal records who do not have prints on file at the national level.
“Throughout the total AFIS market, no single index or series of indexes is going to contain all the fingerprints that could be screened as part of investigations and background checks,” added Dixon. “The backlogs are immense, but recent advances in middleware and internet-based technologies have made interoperability more feasible. Vendors with expertise in AFIS, especially those not tied to specific technologies, will be in a good position during the next few years to help state & local agencies overcome current proprietary incompatibility issues.”
INPUT’s AFIS INPUT/Output® report is available to INPUT Network™ members. For more information on becoming a member, call 1-888-99-INPUT or submit an online information request at member.input.com.
About INPUT
INPUT is the authority on government business. Established in 1974, INPUT helps companies develop federal, state, and local government business and helps public sector organizations achieve their objectives. Over 1,300 members, including small specialized companies, new entrants to the public sector, and the largest government contractors and agencies, rely on INPUT for the latest and most comprehensive procurement and market information, consulting, powerful sales management tools, and educational & networking events. For more information about INPUT, visit www.input.com or call 703-707-3500.