Biometric experts continue to enhance identity verification in both obvious and unorthodox ways as they explore solutions to an ever-evolving and vexing problem.
Whether at border crossings, airport terminals or high-security facilities, knowing who is trying to pass muster remains the priority, especially in the face of growing terrorist threats. Recent tragic events in both Paris and Brussels provide ample reminder.
As a result, technologies that examine individuals’ physical characteristics with often unmatched specificity continue to shape the landscape of identification management.
Self-service biometrics gain pace
For example, Changi Airport in Singapore has selected a biometric airport control system by Morpho (Safran) that includes integrated border clearance and self-boarding gates. The solution for Terminal 4, which is due to open in 2017, is based on the MorphoPass biometric identification system and MorphoWay automated gates. It will be the first time facial recognition technology will be used at Changi, eliminating the need for manual identity verification by staff.
Rockwell Collins and SITA have also developed biometric self-service solutions for use at airports. Rockwell Collins’ 1-to-Many matching solution for outbound passengers uses a biometric (such as a facial image, fingerprint or iris scan) as a secure travel token through which travelers can quickly check in and board their flights.
SITA’s similar solution, dubbed Smart Path, has passengers’ biometric details captured with a facial scan. At check in, aircraft boarding or border control, passengers gain access with the facial scan and do not have to show passports or a boarding pass. SITA expects that by 2020 passengers using biometrics will be the norm at airports around the world.
Read the complete report in the May 2016 issue of Homeland Security Today.
