Biometrics and identity management for homeland security applications in Saudi Arabia

Identity is the collection of all characteristics related to an entity, be it a person, enterprise or an object. Identities allow entities to be distinguished from each other. This is what makes an identity a key component in several administrative, social and economic transactions. Identity management is important for government, communication, commerce and just about any significant societal activity. Government identity management systems are not usually static and are frequently changed with the change of time and situation. A flexible approach is needed towards the addition of new features in identity management systems. This paper analyzes different identity cards used for different purposes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a case study followed by their deficiencies. Finally, a biometric based identity management system is proposed referring to the successful and extendible identity management system of developed countries.