On Methodologies to Select Systems for Automated Personal Identification

Systems deployed to automatically identify persons operate in diverse application contexts, ranging from border control policing to on-line banking, attract benefits and risks to stakeholder organisations and to their respective user communities. This thesis explores the efficacy of a systematic methodology to select the optimal system for a given application context. We created a systematic methodology in order to ascertain the extent of a systematic methodology’s efficacy to select the optimal system for a given application context. We also developed criteria in order to assess the efficacy of such selection methodologies. Employing the case study research methodology, we conclude that a systematic methodology is reasonably efficacious for selecting the optimal system when the circumstances surrounding the application context necessitate a comprehensive inquiry. An organisation should conduct a comprehensive inquiry when there is a need to establish objectives and requirements for the system in order to evaluate a range of candidate systems, employ repeatable systematic processes in order to reduce their reliance on the capabilities of discipline experts, and/or produce an audit trail of the programme’s method which may be used as evidence to justify the system selected.
We ascertained that the scope of a comprehensive inquiry demands a multi-disciplinary approach to evaluate over 240 factors relating to the selection of the optimal system. An evaluation needs to examine the application context itself in order to determine the stakeholders’ objectives and requirements for a system. Candidate systems may then be appraised on their capabilities to fulfil stakeholders’ requirements.
We used our systematic methodology, in a case study involving the enhancement of an enterprise’s user authentication system, to identify contextual exemplars demonstrating when a systematic methodology is efficacious for selecting these systems. Two retrospective case studies served to identify and explain the proficiencies and deficiencies of current approaches
pursued by organisations’ programmes.