DNI details biometric technology research initiative

The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) research and development arm, the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), has initiated the Biometric Recognition & Identification at Altitude and Range (BRIAR) program.

“National security technologies must accurately and reliably operate under conditions that are extremely difficult for existing biometric technologies to succeed in,” BRIAR program manager Lars Ericson said. “I am confident that our excellent team of research organizations, scientists, and engineers will push the research forward and build technologies that are significantly ahead of the current state-of-the-art.”

The endeavor involves developing new software systems capable of performing whole-body biometric identification from great heights and long ranges.

Accenture Federal Services LLC, Intelligent Automation, Inc., Kitware, Inc., Michigan State University Systems & Technology Research, the University of Houston, and the University of Southern California are the teams IARPA awarded BRIAR research contracts.

Additionally, the Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command C5ISR Center, Research and Technology Integration Directorate are slated to perform program tests and evaluation work.

IARPA investments address some of the most difficult agency challenges and disciplines within the Intelligence Community.