Biometrics Evaluation Centre (BEZ)
BEZ Test Rooms
Test Rooms for Long-Term and Ad-Hoc Analyses
The BEZ provides two highly specialized test rooms:
- One test room is dedicated to long-term studies with a continuously growing pool of participants. Since mid-2022, biometric systems have been evaluated here on a weekly basis with approximately 100 to 150 participants per week. The environment is designed to allow the rapid integration and testing of new biometric systems.
- The second test room is specially secured and tailored to the evaluation of large-scale biometric systems and systems with specific security requirements, such as Automated Border Control (ABC) commonly referred to as eGates. This includes, for example, evaluations of Presentation Attack Detection (PAD).
Both test rooms and laboratories are specifically equipped to parameterize the environmental conditions for biometric evaluations, including the simulation of diverse lighting scenarios.
Diverse Test Formats
The BEZ applies several test approaches tailored to the respective research questions:
- Long-term studies: Systems are tested over extended periods with real users to obtain reliable insights into performance and usability under everyday conditions.
- PAD evaluations by the BSI: The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) regularly conducts tests on the security of biometric systems, including consumer devices. These evaluations are critical for assessing resilience against presentation attacks and are carried out exclusively by the BSI.
- Contract-based evaluations: For specific research purposes or on behalf of industry and commercial partners, customized test series are designed and implemented. Depending on the objectives, these may be large-scale studies with many participants or intensive short-term tests with high testing frequency. Test requirements are defined individually in coordination with the commissioning partners.
Technical Equipment and Infrastructure
The BEZ laboratories and test rooms are equipped with high-quality technical systems that cover a wide range of biometric modalities, including:
- Biometric reference systems
- eGate (comparable to automated border control systems deployed at airports)
- Fingerprint scanners (devices from both commercial and governmental contexts)
- Spectral measurement devices and 3D cameras for capturing detailed biometric features
- A specially configured K13 multi-camera system for producing high-quality facial reference images from multiple perspectives as well as 3D facial reference models
- Various programmable lighting systems for simulating realistic illumination scenarios and for evaluating the impact of interfering light sources
Research, Teaching, and In-House Manufacturing
In addition to testing biometric systems, the laboratories also serve research and development activities, particularly within student projects and practice-oriented theses. The BEZ further operates its own in-house manufacturing facility for producing artefacts used in PAD evaluations - an essential element for creating realistic attack scenarios.
The BEZ laboratories combine scientific precision, technical excellence, and application-oriented research—providing an ideal foundation for advancing secure biometric technologies.