The quiz: Why is the maximum number of users in Auto-Match limited to a total of 30?

The answer: The maximum number of users allowed to access the iGuard using automatch is recommended to be limited to 30 users. This is due to the fact that the iGuard would require some time to process the fingerprint and then search for it across ALL the database stored on your iGuard. It is therefore recommended that the automatch feature is left for top management and the rest of staff can use ID plus Fingerprint for access. Also, user with poor fingerprint quality shall not use automatch.

Answers beyond the limitation of the processing power of iGuard. It really took us few years to understand the what are relationship of some of the terminologies. You will see a lot of "standalone" devices (no PC, like iGuard) claim to have fast 1:N automatching and good FAR (false acceptance rate say 0.001%). False Acceptance Rate is the chance of having accepting a wrong fingerprint, for iGuard (FAR of 0.01%), there is 1 out of 10,000 chance of accepting a wrong fingerprint or if you make a attempt of 10,000, you can by-pass iGuard security. We have no clue how they did it. It is difficult to make a good evaluation of these units because there are just too many out there and it takes a lot of time !
Bioscrypt is the most decent company who only claims for 1:1 automatching and 0.1% FAR. iGuard can do 1:30 automatching and 0.01% FAR, but there is a famous Chinese company called ZhongKung who claims to have 1:1000 automaching and 0.001% FAR. It seems that from the specification, ZhongKung has a superior product and that is why we have a tough time competing with them in a project of over 200 units in a new casino of Macau. ZhongKung has a price of 1/3 of iGuard and with handicapped TCP/IP capability using converter.

About Automatching

If iGuard allows 1:1000 automatching (instead of the 30 limit), the actual FAR will increase from 0.01% to 10% ( = 1,000 x 0.01%), and it means a non-register user can by-pass the sytem with about 10 attempts. In the case of ZhongKung who has a superior 0.001% FAR, the actual FAR (with 1:1000 automatching enabled) will become 1% (= 1,000 x 0.001%) only ! It is still acceptable because it will take about 100 attempts to by-pass the system.

About FAR

Then, we should ask ourselves, is there anyway to improve the FAR ? should we source a different fingerprint sensor with better FAR ? how come Bioscrypt can survive with only 0.1% FAR ?

FAR, Enrolment, and Matching

FAR can be improved by taking more samples (minutiaes) from the fingerprint, but there are draw backs: (1) more users (with bad fingerprint) fail to enrol their fingerprints and (2) more users fail in the matching if their fingers are not placed properly on the sensor surface each time. iGuard has about 1% of the users who have difficulty of enrolment and it varies from races, locations, and applications. We can sacrify this by increasing it from 1% to 3-4% in order to get a good FAR and good 1:N auto-matching performance. Shoud we do it ?

Conclusion

It is a matter of trade-off between Good FAR/ Fast 1:N automatching and Ease of Enrolment/Ease of matching. Or, it is trade-off between a product with good specifications or a product with a good practical use.

Iowa Man Claims $800,000 Power Play Prize!
A central Iowa man spent the weekend with his $800,000-winning Powerball ticket in an unusual place. “I kept it in my hearing aid box.  Nobody would ever look in there!” David Branam of Adel said with a laugh.  “I had signed it, though.  I'd always heard if you had a winning ticket, you should sign it.”

Branam, 79, won $800,000 in the Saturday, July 22, Powerball drawing with Power Play. Because Branam purchased the Power Play option, the normal $200,000 prize for matching five white balls was multiplied by four for a total prize of $800,000.

Branam, a retired welder, already knows what he will do with his winnings. “We're going to invest it,” he said, adding that he and his wife, Jean, also plan to take a fishing trip to Minnesota in the near future.

South Dakota Couple Claims $116.8 Million Powerball Jackpot!
The winners of the biggest jackpot ever won in South Dakota have claimed their prize. Lan “Bill” Nguyen and his wife Tina claimed the $116.8 million they won in the May 17th Powerball drawing.  Bill purchased the ticket while stopping for gas with his son Alexander on their way fishing for crappie and bluegill at Hayes Lake .  Bill picked his own numbers for each play based on a pattern on the play slip instead of any specific number.  The next morning, he learned that the winning ticket was sold in Pierre.

The Nguyens chose to receive their jackpot winnings as a one-time cash prize of $51,584,755.  The Lottery also paid the couple another $14 they had won on the same ticket. The couple said they plan to give back financially to their communities as a way of saying thank you for the support their family has received. They said several local charities and organizations had helped them and they intend to help those organizations.
(photo of ticket held by Norm Lingle of the South Dakota Lottery)

North Carolina Man Wins $1 Million With Power Play!
A North Carolina man with the Powerball drawing of Wednesday, June 7th became the largest winner to date of the North Carolina Education Lottery's entry into the Powerball game. Victor Poplin of Granite Quarry, North Carolina won $200,000 for matching the 5 white numbers but had it multiplied with the Power Play option.  The Power Play number that evening was a “5” bumping his total win to $1 million!   With the $1 Power Play option, you multiply your Powerball winnings from 2-5 times, except for the jackpot. At the beginning of each drawing a wheel is spun to select that night's multiplier.

He credited his winnings to his faith and chose the winning numbers based on some “life experiences.”  “I had help from the man upstairs,” Poplin added.  Poplin has no definite plans for the money, but said he would give 10 percent to his church.