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  1. Getting Started
  2. WhoYou Verify
  3. Biometrics - One-Time Verification (OTV)

Data Source

The Journey of Data: From Source to Insights

Whenever a verification is performed whether through biometrics or ID document verification the captured data is compared against the "Golden Source." The Golden Source represents authoritative and reliable data obtained directly from:

  • Department of Home Affairs (DHA)

  • Official verification documents

  • Cached data maintained by WhoYou and our trusted vendors

The following section outlines how data is sourced and utilized to establish the “Golden Source”, ensuring accuracy and compliance in all verification processes.

Data Source

Data is sourced from the following methods listed below:

Department of Home Affairs (DHA)

For South African citizens, personal information from Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is sourced from the following systems:

HANIS (Home Affairs National Identification System)
NPR (National Population Register)

Primarily handles biometric information (e.g., Facial and fingerprints) and links it to personal identifiers like a person's ID Number.

  • If the query involves biometric verification (e.g., confirming someone's identity using facial or fingerprints), the data retrieval will involve HANIS.​

Note: Approximately Only 80% of the population has biometrics stored with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). This can explain in some cases, why no photo or fingerprints are returned during verifications.

NPR is a comprehensive database managed by Department of Home Affairs (DHA) that stores all demographic information of South African citizens and permanent residents.​

  • NPR stores demographic information, such as first name, last name, date of birth, marital status, and citizenship, this data comes from the National Population Register (NPR).

ID Document Capture

For Non-RSA citizens, or when a user is redirected to document capture due to Department of Home Affairs (DHA) being offline or a photo/fingerprint being unavailable , a combination of the following two methods is employed. Take note that in this instance our “Golden Source” is the data that is extracted via the MRZ for passport uploads :

MRZ (Machine-Readable Zone)”Golden Source”
OCR Technology (Optical Character Recognition)

The Machine-Readable Zone is a key feature of modern identity documents, such as passports and ID cards. It consists of a standardized section, usually located at the bottom of the document, with two or three lines of alphanumeric characters. This format is internationally recognized and designed for fast and accurate data extraction.​

Information Extracted from MRZ Includes:​

  • Document Number​

  • Country​

  • First Name(s)​

  • Surname​

  • Date of Birth​

  • Document Expiry Date​

  • Document Issue Data

OCR is a technology used to read, and extract written or printed text from ID documents. It identifies textual patterns from scanned images or photos and converts them into readable data.

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Last updated 1 month ago