The NIST HumanID Evaluation Framework

The NIST HumanID Evaluation Framework, or HEF, is an effort to design, implement, and deploy standards for the robust and complete documentation of the biometric system evaluation process. The HEF leverages contemporary technologies, specifically XML, for the formal description of biometric tests. The HEF was used to facilitate the administration of the Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT) 2002. Unlike FRVT 2000 or the FERET 1996 evaluations, FRVT 2002 used a large number (over 100,000) of both still and video facial imagery, warranting the development of a more sophisticated and regular means of describing data presented to the participants. The HEF is one component in NIST's ongoing effort to address the need in the biometrics community for a common evaluation framework.