ANSI/NIST Fingerprint Standard 

Workshop

Dec. 5-6, 2005

Proposal to Add Support For of UTF-8 an

Tracking Field to ANSI/NIST-ITL 1

Rob Mungovan, Aware, Inc.
Add Support for UTF-

Add Support for UTF-

 Committee MembersBonny Scheier, SabreTony Misslin, IdentixDale Hapeman, DOD-BFCRalph Lessman, CrossMatchScott Hills, AwareRob Mungovan, Aware
Use of UTF-8 in User 

Fields

Use of UTF-8 in User Fields

 We suggest this primarily as a way to bett

international character sets

 UTF-8 is the 8 bit variant of Unicode Unicode is the common standard encodin

international characters and text

 It supports most of the world’s characters 

including...

– Ethiopic, Cherokee, Canadian Aboriginal S

Myanmar, Khmer, Mongolian and Braille.
UTF-8 in User Defined 

UTF-8 in User Define

 Current method in ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2000 

international character sets is as follows:

– Described in sections 7.2.3 and 8.1.15– Field 1.015 “Directory of Character Sets”- 

character sets used in the given transactio

– Example: index = 000, 7 bit ASCII is used, 

16 bit unicode is used

– Within the larger file, the occurrence of the 

0x02 followed by an equal sign “=“ is used new character set
UTF-8 in User Defined 

UTF-8 in User Define

– 0x02=002 This means that Unicode 16 b– This character set remains active until ASC

encountered or until the next ASCII informis encountered

– This non-ASCII text must be base-64 enco

 Problems with this scheme:

– Overly complex– Not necessary– Base-64 encoding expands the data 
Recommendation Recommendation

 Allow UTF-8 in place of 7 bit ASCII for all 

fields (not in type 1, type 4, type 8, etc).

 UTF-8 has been a common method for up

ASCII systems to support international ap

 ASCII characters map directly to UTF-8 This change would have no impact on exi

or domains that do not use UTF-8. 

 UTF-8 data can be read/written with existi No syntactical changes are are required This scheme is in place already in certain 
Wording Changes, se

Wording Changes, se

 page 7, paragraph 2The second paragraph restricts text or character data in Typ

through Type 16 records to 7-bit ASCII code. This shoul8-bit UTF-8 characters in all user defined fields within th

Proposed wording change to paragraph 2: 

After the first sentence:

“The text or character data in Type-2, and Type-9 through T

normally be recorded using 7-bit ASCII code in variable specified upper limits on the size of the fields.”

... Add this...“Eight bit UTF-8 characters shall be allowed to support inter

sets for all user defined fields in all record types. By defrecord types 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8.”
Wording Changes, Se

Wording Changes, Se

 Section 6.1, page 7, paragraph 3The third paragraph should be changed to suggest UTF-8 as 

storing data that cannot be represented in 7-bit ASCII.

Proposed wording change to paragraph 3:After the first sentence:“For data interchange between non-English speaking agenc

other than 7-bit ASCII may be used in textual fields contaType-9 through Type-16 records.”

... Add this...“UTF-8 is the preferred method of storing textual data that ca

as 7 bit ASCII.”
Changes, Section 7.2

Changes, Section 7.2

 End of section 7.2.3, page 14... add this text...“Usage of UTF-8 is allowed as an alternative to the techn

usage of the ASCII “STX” and “ETX” characters to sigend of of international characters. UTF-8 is only allowedefined fields, for example, record type 2, and the UDF record types 10, 13, 14, and 15.”

... and add this text...“Even though there is no overlap within the character sets 

UTF-8 should be registered in the type 1 record within (Directory of Character Sets). “
Changes, Table 4 Changes, Table 4

 Table 4, page 16... add a new character set index ...New Character Set Index: “003”New Character Set Name: “UTF-8”New Description: “8-bit Unicode”Change reserved indices: “004-127”
Changes, Section 8.1

Changes, Section 8.1

 Section 8.1.15, filed 1.015, page 16... after the second sentence add this text...“In the case of the use of UTF-8, the third optiona

item can be used to hold the specific version o

set used with UTF-8, so that the human terminswitched to the right font family.”

Example

1.015:003<US>UTF-8<US>Chinese BIG5<GS>”
Add Event Tracking D

Add Event Tracking D

 Committee MembersBonny Scheier, SabreTony Misslin, IdentixDale Hapeman, DOD-BFCRalph Lessman, CrossMatchScott Hills, AwareRob Mungovan, Aware
Add Event Tracking D

Add Event Tracking D

 Purpose: To track and log location (via G

of events related to a transaction (ANSI/Nduring its lifetime.

 Strategy: Keep it simple. Make it flexible

field and syntax, but make it optional.

 Rationale: In certain architectures many m

send, receive, or modify the data.

– This information will be useful to determine 

and type of data processing.

– This information will be useful for diagnosi

and understanding system performance.
Events of Interest Events of Interest

 Events might include such things as

– Original creation of the transaction– Validation (error checking)– Receipt and/or forwarding by an intermedi– Changes to the priority (PRY) of the transa– Changes to the addressing of the transact

changes to TCN, TCR, ORI, or DAI

– Insertion/removal of finger, palm, or facial – Changes to textual information content; pe

to changes from one domain’s format to anRCMP to FBI)

– Final archival of the transaction.
Proposed Changes to 

Standard

Proposed Changes to Standard

 Add a new, optional, type 1 field Add a new section

– 8.1.16 Field 1.016 Event Tracking Field (E

 Each event is to be stored in a separate s

starting with the initial event.

 Each subfield will consist of 5 data items.
Field 1.016, Five Data 

Field 1.016, Five Data 

 GMT- Greenwich mean time. Identical definit

current file 1.014 to enable backward compatib

 AGN- Identifier of the agency which has recor

 LAT- Latitude of the location at which the eve

decimal degrees. The latitude value should be WGS-84 datum.

 LON- Latitude of the location at which the eve

decimal degrees. The latitude value should be WGS-84 datum.

 EVT

- Free text description of the event.
Example Example

 1.016:19991120235745Z<US>DCFBIWA

44336<US>-77.216461 <US>Transactio<RS>20001022244222Z<US>MASP<USUS>23.457895<US>Transaction receivevalidated<FS>
Descriptive text for s

8.1.16

Descriptive text for s8.1.16

“This optional field is intended to provide a co

flexible, cross domain format, for tracking related to the transaction during its lifetimeentry in the ETF field will include the time, location and a text description of an event the transaction.”

“Each event would be stored in a separate su

starting with the initial event.”

Add description of 5 field items and example 

previous slide.