UIDAI and IIIT-H Launch Biometric Challenge with Rs 7.7 Lakh Prize Money
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in collaboration with IIIT-Hyderabad has launched a large-scale competition to test fingerprint-based authentication solutions in biometric algorithms, the Ministry of Electronics and IT said.
The competition invites global researchers and developers to improve their biometric models using UIDAI’s unique field-collected datasets to improve accuracy in real-world scenarios.
The first phase of the Biometric SDK Benchmarking Challenge is related to fingerprint authentication. It talks about testing 1:1 matching algorithms for children aged 5-10 years, with updates after 5-10 years.
This competition will help participants understand the performance of their algorithms – which will be evaluated against a large biometric dataset within a secure UIDAI sandbox.
“UIDAI ensures that the submissions made by the participants are evaluated in a secure manner, wherein the datasets are kept anonymous and the data is not shared with the participants,” the ministry said.
The ministry further said, "The challenge carries a prize of Rs 7.7 lakh (9,000 USD) and an opportunity to collaborate with UIDAI in advancing biometric technologies."
This competition, which started on March 25, will run till May 25. Those interested in participating in it can register on the UIDAI website.
After the fingerprint challenge, UIDAI will also launch an SDK benchmarking competition for iris and face authentication, the ministry said.
UIDAI said, “The SDK Benchmarking Competition organised by UIDAI and IIIT-H assesses the effectiveness of Biometric Verification and Authentication SDKs.”
UIDAI further said, “It provides a platform for researchers and industry leaders to evaluate the computational power and efficiency of their SDKs.”
Aadhaar serves as a key pillar of good governance and digital inclusion in India. Aadhaar number holders perform approximately 90 million authentication transactions daily to avail various services and benefits.
