NIST ITL has completed an XML version of the ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2007 data format standard. On August 12, 2008, the Board of Standards Review of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved the ANSI/NIST-ITL 2-2008 standard entitled Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial, & Other Biometric Information – Part 2: XML Version .
The concept of developing the NIST standard in XML was first discussed during workshops held in 2005, for the development of the ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2007 standard. A resolution was passed in favor of the development of a "Part 2" in XML format.
Following the approval of ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2007, a workshop to discuss the development of a Part 2, XML version, of the standard was held September 18, 2007. A draft of the XML standard was released for comment in March 2008, and major issues were discussed at a meeting/telecon held May 8th, 2008. More information on this past draft and meeting can be found here .
The ANSI/NIST-ITL 2-2008 standard represents the consensus agreements made at the NIST workshops that were held in April 2005, December 2005, September 2007, May 2008, and the comments received in response to the draft of this document and the May 2008 meeting. This version defines in XML format the content and units of measurement for the exchange of information that may be used in the identification process of a subject. The interchange of fingerprint; palmprint; facial/mugshot; scar, mark, & tattoo (SMT); iris; and other biometric sample information are addressed by this standard. Exchanged information consists of a variety of mandatory and optional items, including related record data, digitized characteristic information, and compressed or uncompressed image data. This standard was also developed to be conformant with the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM).
The coordination and development of this ANSI standard revision was accomplished using the NIST Canvass Method. About 100 federal, state, local, and international law enforcement agencies, criminal justice administrations, vendors, and other organizations participated in the development of this standard.
On May 31, 2008, the proposed standard was completed, and registered canvassees were asked for their approval of the proposed standard. At the close of the ballot period on July 14, 2008, 46 affirmative ballots had been returned together with just over 20 comments, which were used to correct errors and clarify points throughout the document. None of the modifications made to the balloted document were substantive in nature. No negative votes were returned.
In accordance with the NIST/ITL Procedures used for the development of American National Standards, the proposed standard was submitted to ANSI for their review of the procedures used to develop this standard. On August 12, 2008, ANSI approved ANSI/NIST-ITL 2-2008 as an ANSI standard, and it can now be downloaded as NIST Special Publication 500-275: Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial, & Other Biometric Information - Part 2: XML Version (ANSI/NIST-ITL 2-2008).
Additional information or a hardcopy version of NIST Special Publication 500-275 can be obtained by sending an email to ansi-nist-xml@nist.gov .
Supplementary Documents
