Biometric Framework terminology

The following terms are used throughout the Windows Biometric Framework API documentation.

Term	Definition
Windows Biometric Framework (WBF)	A framework architecture in Windows that provides a consistent management interface and user experience for biometric devices.
Windows Biometric Service	A privileged service that manages all biometric devices by using Windows Biometric Driver Interface (WBDI) compliant device drivers.
Windows Biometric Driver Interface	An interface standard for drivers that manage fingerprint sensors.
Windows Biometric Service Provider (WBSP)	A component of the Windows Biometric Service that manages a specific category of biometric technology such as a fingerprint reader. WBSPs are built into the Windows Biometric Service. They are not plug-ins and third party BSPs are not supported.
Biometric factor	A personal characteristic that can be measured and used for identification. Examples include fingerprints and hand geometry.
Biometric sub-factor	A qualifying characteristic that can be used to further define a biometric factor. For example, to completely identify a fingerprint (biometric factor) it's necessary to specify which finger the print came from (biometric sub-factor).
Biometric sample	The data that results from the measurement of a single characteristic from a single individual, for example the image of one fingerprint.
Biometric template	A statistical average generated by collecting multiple biometric samples of a single characteristic for a single individual. A template typically contains only the features that are necessary to determine whether a new sample matches.
Biometric unit	A software object that represents a biometric device and can be used to capture and process biometric samples and create, save, and match biometric templates.
Sensor adapter	A biometric unit plug-in component that provides a standard interface for configuring the sensor, capturing samples, and controlling the flow of biometric data to the engine adapter.
Engine adapter	A biometric unit plug-in component that processes a sample by normalizing data, extracting features, and matching sample data to existing templates.
Storage adapter	A biometric unit plug-in component that stores, manages, and retrieves templates.
Biometric information record (BIR)	A data structure that contains raw or processed biometric information.
Sensor pool	A collection of biometric units that share a common management policy.
Liveness testing	A process that verifies that a biometric sample is not being spoofed or replayed from a sample that was previously collected.