| Modality | Type of human trait, such as face, iris, fingerprint, or voice. |
| BioType | Specific class of captured biometric, for a modality, e.g., left index, right iris. |
| BioTypeID | Numerical descriptor for BioType. ImageWare has been using a standard numbering system for many years. |
| Algorithm | It is the 3rd party or open source biometric algorithm used for both creating biometric templates and matching those same biometric templates. We commonly use the name of Biometric Plugin that wraps the algorithm to denote the algorithm itself, e.g. VeriFinger11, Cognitec8_8Face, IrisID_3_01_05_1024, or simply IrisID, as often Algorithm and Plugin are used interchangeably. |
| TemplateType | Describes the type of biometric template, as a combination of both BioType and Algorithm, such as, for example, “LeftIris:IrisID”, “RightIndex:VeriFinger11” or “Face:OpenDNN”. |