Smart Card Interoperability: GSA Adds Interoperability Standards to Smart Card Specifications ...

From US GSA ...

... "Government-wide Smart Card Interoperability:

Flexibility, more smart card products and services
Works with electronic physical access, logical (computer) access, Biometrics and cryptography
Multiple vendor products will work together within the same smart card applications
Federal agencies can benefit from the smart card development of other agencies; i.e. federal smart card applications can be shared.
Gives the Federal government common smart card identification services
Gives Federal agencies the ability to identify and authenticate employees from other agencies
Federal IDs can be used for electronic visitor control systems
Federal agencies need not issue additional access or ID cards to detailed employees
Reduces data and paper handling for Federal employees
Provides for information portability
Helps the Federal government work cheaper and better by reducing the number of access cards federal employees need for controlled access, i.e. buildings, computers, parking areas, Secured Compartmentalized Information Facility (SCIF), and other controlled areas
Creates a multiple application smart cards that can be used by any Federal agency
Provides for secure electronic routing of government documents" ...