Answer given by Mr Avramopoulos on behalf of the European Commission
20.6.2018
All the systems mentioned below use the same format for filing scanned images of fingerprints. However, the fingerprint templates, which collect the unique matching points of the scanned fingerprints, use different formats. Each system searches their own templates for matching a fingerprint scanned image.
SIS — Schengen Information System: the Automatic Fingerprint Information System (AFIS) hardware is Hewlett Packard. The softwares installed are: SafranAFIS, Accenture Middleware, Oracle Database and Linux.
VIS — Visa Information System: the Biometric Matching System (BMS) hardware is Hewlett-Packard. The softwares installed are: Morpho Biometric Search Services (MBSS) by IDEMIA; Linux; RabbitMQ; WorkFlow Integration by Accenture; Oracle Database.
EURODAC — European Dactyloscopy: the hardware is DELL. The softwares installed are: Linux; ‘CAFIS’ by Gemalto; Oracle Database.
Europol: the hardware is Hewlett-Packard. The software installed are the following: Windows Server 2012; custom Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) by SopraSteria.
The AFIS behind SIS, VIS or the future Entry Exit System (EES) could serve as a basis for the development of a shared Biometric Matching Service storing biometric templates as proposed in the interoperability proposals[1].
See annex : Annex
- [1] COM (2017) 793: Proposal for a regulation of the European parliament and of the Council on establishing a framework for interoperability between EU information systems (borders and visa) and amending Council Decision 2004/512/EC, Regulation (EC) No 767/2008, Council Decision 2008/633/JHA, Regulation (EU) 2016/399 and Regulation (EU) 2017/2226; COM (2017) 794: Proposal for a regulation of the European parliament and of the Council on establishing a framework for interoperability between EU information systems (police and judicial cooperation, asylum and migration).