TS EN ISO/IEC 2382-37

TS EN ISO/IEC 2382-37 is an information technology vocabulary standard that defines and aligns the concepts used in biometrics. As this part focuses on biometrics, it helps standardise the terminology used when discussing human recognition, so that the same concept is not described by several competing terms in different documents or technical communities.

What this vocabulary standard organises

In general technical terms, biometrics refers to methods that use human characteristics such as fingerprints, face, iris or voice for recognition-related tasks. The field sits at the intersection of measurement, pattern recognition, security and identity-related applications. The purpose of this standard, however, is not to prescribe a particular biometric method or device, but to organise the concepts and preferred terms used across the field.

The document states that it reconciles variant terms used in existing International Standards on biometrics against preferred terms, which is important for clarity and consistency in technical communication. That makes a vocabulary standard especially useful where closely related concepts can be confused, such as identification and verification. It also makes clear that the standard draws on knowledge from information technology, biology, mathematics and pattern recognition, while not covering those disciplines themselves as separate subject areas.

• Provides a systematic description of concepts in biometrics related to human recognition.
• Aligns variant terms from pre-existing biometric standards with preferred terminology.
• Excludes concepts from information technology, pattern recognition, biology and mathematics as standalone subject matter.
• Mode-specific terms are generally outside the scope, keeping the focus on shared field-wide vocabulary.