Aware, Inc. Introduces Biometrics Software for E-Passports and Smart Cards

[November 17, 2004]

Aware, Inc. Introduces Biometrics Software for E-Passports and Smart Cards

BEDFORD, Mass. --(Business Wire)-- Nov. 17, 2004 -- Comprehensive biometrics software toolkits provides key functionality for personalization and reader systems

Aware, Inc., a global provider of imaging and biometrics software, today announced the availability of M1Pack and ICAOPack, two software development kits used to build biometrics-enabled e-passport and smart card applications. Each toolkit bundles key functionality such as file reading and writing, image compression, and quality assurance. Together these tools enable integrators and system developers to build scalable, flexible, standards-compliant personalization and reader applications. M1Pack enables full compliance to ISO/IEC SC 37 international biometrics standards, as well as U.S. biometrics standards developed at INCITS M1 and approved as ANSI/INCITS standards. ICAOPack goes further to address e-passport requirements, adding functionality required to handle biometric and security files according to ICAO e-passport LDS and PKI specifications. These toolkits are designed with expertise gained from years of deployment of Aware's NISTPack, used globally to read and write millions of biometric files submitted to databases since 1997.

"Worldwide deployment of biometric-enabled e-passport and smart card systems is a significant challenge on several fronts, with quality control and data interoperability being particularly daunting," commented David Benini, director of product marketing at Aware. "Aware has applied its extensive expertise in the creation and exchange of biometrics to the task, providing integrators and system developers with an array of robust yet flexible software tools that help them ensure standards compliance and reduce risk and development time."

M1Pack and ICAOPack each provide several software tools required for biometrics-enabled IDs and systems, including software to read, write, edit, and validate biometric files according to ANSI/INCITS M1 and ISO/IEC SC 37 biometric data interchange standards, including CBEFF. Each includes JPEG2000 for facial image compression and WSQ for fingerprint image compression, as well as Aware's QualityCheck software for fingerprint image quality scoring. More can be learned about Aware's biometrics software at www.aware.com/biometrics.

About Aware & Biometrics

Aware is the recognized leading provider of high-quality, standards-compliant biometrics software tools, having developed among the first forensic-grade biometrics software for the U.S. government in the early 1990s. Today, Aware continues its global biometrics leadership with software tools that enable integrators, solution providers, and government agencies to compress, analyze, optimize, format, and transport biometric images and data according to international standards. Aware, Inc. is a publicly held company based in Bedford, Massachusetts.

Safe Harbor Warning

Portions of this release contain forward-looking statements regarding future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties, such as estimates or projections of future revenue and earnings and the growth of the biometrics market. Aware wishes to caution you that there are factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results indicated by such statements. We refer you to the documents Aware files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the section titled Risk Factors in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004 and other reports and filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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