ISO/IEC 19784-1:2018 defines the Application Programming Interface (API) and Service Provider Interface (SPI) for standard interfaces within a biometric system that support the provision of that biometric system using components from multiple vendors. It provides interworking between such components through adherence to this and to other International Standards.

For use in a system that does not include a BioAPI Framework (called a framework-free BioAPI system), only the SPI interface is applicable, with applications interfacing directly to that in a platform-specific manner.

NOTE 1 Many clauses and/or sub-clauses of this document are not applicable for implementation of a framework-free BioAPI system. These are identified at the head of the clause of sub-clause.

The BioAPI specification is applicable to a broad range of biometric technology types. It is also applicable to a wide variety of biometrically enabled applications, from personal devices, through network security applications, to large complex identification systems.

ISO/IEC 19784-1:2018 supports an architecture in which a BioAPI Framework supports multiple simultaneous biometric applications (provided by different vendors), using multiple dynamically installed and loaded (or unloaded) Biometric Service Provider (BSP) components and BioAPI Units (provided by other different vendors), possibly using one of an alternative set of BioAPI Function Provider (BFP) components (provided by other vendors) or by direct management of BioAPI Units.

NOTE 2 Where BioAPI Units are provided by a different vendor fom a BSP, a standardised BioAPI Function Provider Interface (FPI) may be needed. This is outside the scope of this document, but is specified by later parts for the different categories of FPI.

NOTE 3 Where a BioAPI Framework is not used in a system, the ability to support multiple applications and multiple BSPs is platform-dependent and depends on the nature of the system-integration techniques employed.

ISO/IEC 19784-1:2018 is not required (and should normally not be referenced) when a complete biometric system is being procured from a single vendor, particularly if the addition or interchange of biometric hardware, services, or applications is not a feature of that biometric system. (Such systems are sometimes referred to as "embedded systems".) Standardisation of such systems is not in the scope of this document.

ISO/IEC 19784-1:2018 does not define security requirements for biometric applications and biometric service providers.

NOTE 4 ISO 19092 provides guidelines on security aspects of biometric systems[3].

The performance of biometric systems (particularly in relation to searches of a large population to provide the biometric identification capability) is not in the scope of this document. Trade-offs between interoperability and performance are not in the scope of this document.

ISO/IEC 19784-1:2018 specifies a version of the BioAPI specification that is defined to have a version number described as Major 2, Minor 0, or version 2.0. It also specifies a version number described as Major 2, Minor 1, or version 2.1 that provides an enhanced Graphical User Interface. It also specifies a version number described as Major 2, Minor 2, or version 2.2 that provides features supporting fusion and security. Some clauses and sub-clauses apply only to one of these versions, some to two or more. This is identified at the head of the relevant clauses and sub-clauses.

NOTE 5 Earlier versions of the BioAPI specification were not International Standards.

NOTE 6 The differences between the requirements of the 2.0 specification and the 2.1 specification for framework-free operation relate only to the biometric type values and encodings.

Conformance requirements are specified in Clause 5.