  Biometric recognition, or simply biometrics, is the use of biological
attributes such as face, fingerprints or iris in order to recognize an
individual in an automated manner. A key application of biometrics is
authentication; i.e., using said biological attributes to provide access by
verifying the claimed identity of an individual. This paper presents a
framework for Biometrics-as-a-Service (BaaS) that performs biometric matching
operations in the cloud, while relying on simple and ubiquitous consumer
devices such as smartphones. Further, the framework promotes innovation by
providing interfaces for a plurality of software developers to upload their
matching algorithms to the cloud. When a biometric authentication request is
submitted, the system uses a criteria to automatically select an appropriate
matching algorithm. Every time a particular algorithm is selected, the
corresponding developer is rendered a micropayment. This creates an innovative
and competitive ecosystem that benefits both software developers and the
consumers. As a case study, we have implemented the following: (a) an ocular
recognition system using a mobile web interface providing user access to a
biometric authentication service, and (b) a Linux-based virtual machine
environment used by software developers for algorithm development and
submission.
