Criminal AFIS Market Driven by Local Systems, Upgrades

June 19, 2007
County and local-level law enforcement driving automated fingerprint identification systems

Palo Alto, Calif. – June 18, 2007 – County and local-level law enforcement agencies will likely drive growth in the criminal automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) market. However, the AFIS market must still contend with funding limitations deterring prospective customers from purchasing high priced AFIS and live scan systems. By moving to a non-proprietary format and offering solutions customized to specific needs, AFIS may improve its cost effectiveness and encourage higher adoption rates among funding-constrained agencies.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, North American Criminal AFIS Markets, reveals that the market earned revenues of $166.7 million in 2006 and estimates this to reach $431.3 million in 2013.

“The demand from county and local law enforcement agencies for their own AFIS systems is a key driving factor,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Imran F. Khan. “The falling prices of AFIS systems and the quicker response time provided by in-house AFIS, is making it more favorable to the local agencies than having to rely on state and federal AFIS systems for matching.”

The AFIS market in North America was considered saturated - with all state-level sites already having an AFIS. However, slow turn-around time for matching at the state level is prompting counties and local agencies to set up their own AFIS. Intense price competition has worked in the agencies’ favor, as they can now afford an AFIS and live-scan system.

Despite the increased interest from local law enforcement agencies, the lengthy sales cycle and limited funding continue to restrain the market. Moreover, issues with interoperability in the legacy systems require AFIS upgrades. The move to interoperable systems forces vendors to shift to a less expensive non-proprietary model and ultimately affects their profit margins.

"Additionally, AFIS performance myths propagated by marketing hype can create a mismatch between the system’s capability and the end user’s expectations, thus hampering adoption," says Khan. "When the systems fail to live up to their marketing claims, the unmet expectations can prevent future upgrades or adoption of the technology itself."

North American Criminal AFIS Markets is part of the Auto ID & Security Growth Partnership Service program, and it provides in-depth analysis of key market drivers and restraints, revenue forecasts, technology trends and competitive structure. In this study, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following markets: global AFIS, law enforcement AFIS, and live scan markets.