Promoting public safety and security by enhancing the efficiency and sophistication of criminal investigation

NEC began research and development of automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS) in 1971. After more than a decade of intensive development, NEC delivered the first working system to the Japanese National Police Agency in 1982.

Considering the fact that prior to the introduction of NEC’s first AFIS, fingerprint identification procedures had been performed manually on a case-by-case basis, it is not hard to imagine the enormous gains in efficiency made possible by the new computer-based automation system, and how these in turn spurred rapid advances in criminal investigation success rates.

Unsurprisingly, demand for AFIS technology in the areas of law enforcement and judiciary increased rapidly, not only in Japan but worldwide, NEC’s AFIS quickly established itself as a dominant player worldwide — for example, in 1984 the San Francisco Police Department introduced the system. It is no exaggeration to say that today NEC’s AFIS is a key element of safety and security systems around the world.

The core of NEC’s AFIS is its exclusive Minutiae and Related Method used for identifying fingerprints. Development of this method drew on all of NEC’s technological capabilities, both in hardware and software. (Facsimiles were used to exchange fingerprint images at that time. NEC has a long history of innovation in the field of phototelegraphic equipment, so naturally, this is something that NEC is good at.)

Fingerprint positive identification increasingly common in daily life

Until now, AFISs have been primarily used in the area of law enforcement, but today application of fingerprint-based positive identification (PID) technology is spreading to a wide range of fields such as national ID numbering and immigration where high security is required.

To meet these needs, NEC released the AFIS21 in 1994. This was a downsized, open system, which used the same identification method and maintained the same level of accuracy as the conventional AFIS. The AFIS21 incorporated both the AFIS system for law enforcement fields and the PID system for non-law enforcement fields. The system was developed with the expectation that PID applications would expand rapidly in the future.

This PID system was exhibited at TELECOM 95 held by the ITU (in October 1995). Visitors were able to experience actual fingerprint registration, card issuance, and identification on the spot.

Following its introduction of a PID system at Telecom 95, NEC continued with its research and development of PID systems and introduced its first product - the SecureFinger fingerprint identification system - in 1999. Since then, SecureFinger has undergone repeated improvements and is still being marketed today.

Technology that is always evolving — Ranked first in the world for identification accuracy

Today, NEC’s commitment to further research and development remains as firm as ever. Our technology has been assessed as the world’s highest level as evidenced by its number one ranking in the Fingerprint Vendor Technology Evaluation (FpVTE 2012 or FpVTE) conducted by the United States’ National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

It has been about a decade and a half since people started taking advantage of the convenience of biometric authentication for logging into PCs and positive identification at bank ATMs. That success would not have been possible without the many long years of research and development, as well as cooperation and coordination with customers to finalize and introduce the actual product. You can read about these R&D efforts and the evolution of fingerprint identification products in the NEC Technical Journal.

This article has focused on NEC’s fingerprint identification technology that is widely recognized all over the world. NEC also has superior face recognition technology — another key element in biometric authentication. We will introduce this technology in a future article.

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(Published July 10, 2015)