FBI’s Next Generation Identification contract goes to Lockheed Martin
According to the agency, the contract will consist of a base year and the potential for up to nine option years.
The FBI noted that the NGI System will expand on the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division’s current Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), which is primarily a fingerprint-based identification system operated and maintained in Clarksburg, W.Va. The NGI System will provide improvements to current services and new functionality for the criminal justice, national security and civil communities, the agency said.
The industry of identification systems is moving beyond dependency on a unimodal (e.g., fingerprint) biometric identifier and is beginning to incorporate multimodal biometrics such as iris and facial imaging. Due to the many issues associated with identity theft, lost and stolen documents and the ability to spoof standard name-based identity management systems—coupled with the rapid advances in technology and the nation’s focus on combating terrorism—there are increasing needs for new and improved identification services, the FBI explained.
In line with this trend, the NGI System will advance the integration strategies and indexing of additional, lawfully authorized, biometric data, providing the framework for a future multimodal system that will facilitate biometric fusion identification techniques, according to the FBI. The framework will be expandable, scalable and flexible to accommodate new technologies and emerging biometrics standards, and will be interoperable with existing biometric systems, the agency noted.
The agency also noted that the NGI system will not expand the categories of individuals from whom the fingerprints and biometric data may be collected. However, the agency said, it will allow for the collection of additional biometric data from criminals and terrorists. Although fingerprint data will remain the primary means of identification, the collection of additional biometric data will be used for investigative purposes and to assist in the identification process.
“IAFIS has been a fantastic tool in support of criminal justice and the war on terror. Our partners on the Advisory Policy Board and National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact Council have defined a need for more modern technology that supports their current mission requirements. NGI will give us bigger, better, faster capabilities and lead us into the future,” said Thomas Bush III, assistant director of the FBI’s CJIS Division. “We have added additional capabilities to our current system, and are working with the departments of Homeland Security, Defense and State and the international law enforcement community in making our communities and nation safer. NGI will leverage the biometrics expertise in the north-central West Virginia area.”