Ottawa's BioDentity is shedding its original name and adopting the moniker of its parent company, CryptoMetrics.

The re-branding as CryptoMetrics Canada is designed to bring the units of the company together and solidify its status as a global company, says chief strategy officer Joel Shaw. Mr. Shaw was a founder of BioDentity, which was acquired by CryptoMetrics in 2004. He is widely recognized as an expert in machine readable travel documents.

"We realize that we're a global company and this is the first step in the adoption of that strategy,"

"Ottawa has emerged as the technology center of Canada and it is thanks to companies such as CryptoMetrics that we have been able to solidify this position. CryptoMetrics' industry-leading technology continues to further the field of biometric capabilities and we look forward to the company's future growth and positive contribution to the Ottawa business community," OCRI president and CEO Jeffrey Dale told a gathering at the company's offices in Kanata.

BioDentity earned its reputation in the field of facial recognition technology, currently the fastest-growing segment of the biometrics market. The sector is surging, as more and more countries begin issuing biometric passports. The document contains a chip that holds a biometric image of the passport owner's face, in addition to the traditional passport photograph. The passport is examined under a passport reader machine to verify the user's identity.

Facial recognition technology is gaining wider use in aviation and transportation as the demand for improved passenger security increases. CryptoMetrics Canada makes a camera that can capture faces at a distance of 75 feet, and also render faces from photographs.

Mr. Shaw describes the company's camera technology as "unique in that marketplace."

CryptoMetrics is based in Tuckahoe, New York and also has offices in New York City and McLean, Virginia.