- Email: [email protected]
Slovenia aims to meet US passport deadline
NEWS
Application news • A school in Phoenix has decided to implement a pilot facial recognition system in an attempt to protect children against potential sexual assault. Two cameras will scan the faces of people entering Royal Palm Middle School. They are linked to both state and national databases of sex offenders, missing children and alleged abductors. The cameras, which cost around US$3000, were donated by Phoenix-based Hummingbird. Despite criticism by civil liberty groups, funding is being sought to place cameras in every school in the state. • Eastern Associated Coal has taken delivery of a fingerprintbased time/attendance solution from Sense Holdings as part of a pilot evaluation. The Sense CheckPrint T/A Time and Attendance solution will be tested and evaluated at a mine in Fairview, West Virginia. The conditions are far from perfect for a biometric system, but if successful it could be rolled out across the workforce of around 6500. • A biometric time and attendance system is being used at a South African grape farm. Developed by Transmetrix, the company's SuperVision product is scanning the fingers of over a hundred workers on a daily basis. • Drexler Technology has received an order from Italy valued at US$3.8 million for optical memory cards to be used as the country's new national ID card, which rolls out in 56 cities in 2004. Italy plans to record each citizen's demographics, colour photograph, digitised signature and various biometrics onto the card's optical memory stripe.
4
As well as greater accuracy, there will be other benefits afforded by Aurora’s 3D FaceRec product. First, the technology is unaffected by variations in lighting conditions, and can therefore work in all environments – including total darkness. Secondly, 3D FaceRec takes into account the whole of the facial structure, which means that the technology is able to work when presented with a face at an angle. Contact: Tracey Cooper at Aurora, Tel: +44 870 606 0412
…as 3D portrait system is released DuPont Authentication Systems (DAS) and A4Vision have joined forces to provide a system that produces 3D images to incorporate in cards, passports and documents. The 3D image is embedded in a special film, and can be viewed from any angle. The 3D nature of the image enables an inspector to make a more reliable visual verification of the document’s authenticity, the company’s claim. The technology combines DAS’s Izon products and imaging process with A4Vision’s 3D facial biometric technology. Michael Zubretsky, COO of DAS commented: “Until now, only twodimensional photographic portraits were practical for use in a card or document. With Izon…and A4Vision’s 3D algorithms and cameras, we’re creating unique, secure, on-demand real-time images in less than 10 seconds.” The system uses the A4 Facial Enrollment Station to capture a 3D image. This is then transferred to the Izon deep 3D imager, which takes translated data and physically imparts the 3D image to Izon film ready to embed in a card or document. The systems are anticipated to be available in early 2004. Contact: Richard Zucker of DuPont Authentication Systems, Tel: +1 203 333 5503, email: [email protected]
integrate with 600 healthcare service providers throughout the country. BIO-key International, through a contract award by Biometric Technologies (PTY), is to deliver its WEB-key identification management and authentication solution. Web-Key will allow patients and healthcare providers to interact with pharmacies, hospitals and other medical specialists in order to prevent fraud (which is believed to be in the region of US$131 million annually in the South African private medical industry) and manage the administration of healthcare benefits. WEB-key software and a fingerprint scanner will be located at each site, enabling medical providers to identify and verify members, as well as ascertain their healthcare membership status and share information with other medical providers. Biometric Technologies (PTY) has already installed and tested its integrated software at a major medical aid administrator in South Africa. The entire network including enrolment and fingerprint scanners is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2004. The initial revenue to BIO-key from this phase is US$235,000. In the future the scheme could grow to include around two million people. In a separate development, BIO-key announced it did well in tests performed by the International Biometric Group (IBG). In the medium security category, BIO-key achieved a 0% False Accept Rate and a 0% False Reject Rate. Notably, BIOkey’s software was able to handle subjects enrolled with one device and verified on another. The performance metrics were derived from Round Five of IBG’s Comparative Biometric Testing conducted in 2003. These tests also tested facial recognition, iris recognition and hand geometry systems from many vendors. Test results reportedly showed a wide variance across the systems’ ability to enrol and match users, with failure-to-enrol rates ranging from 0% to more than 23%, and false accept rates ranging from 0% to more than 5% Contact: Albert Maruggi at BIO-key International, Tel: +1 612 325 8126 Michael Thieme at IBG, Tel: +1 212 809 9491, email: [email protected]
healthcare immigration
Biometrics fight healthcare fraud Biometrics will form a key component in a new project serving the healthcare industry in South Africa. The first phase of the project will enrol more than 52,500 government employees and
Slovenia aims to meet US passport deadline Slovenia has said it will do its utmost to meet the US requirement for biometric features to be embedded within its newly issued passports by
Biometric Technology Today • February 2004
NEWS
In brief • Viisage has been awarded a US$734,000 contract extension to fund the third phase of its facial recognition project with the Pinellas County's Sheriff 's Office (PCSO) in Florida. The supplier will focus on the expansion of the project into other Florida-based law enforcement agencies. Earlier work saw the introduction of image capture systems at detention facilities, jail visitation centres and courthouses, as well as initiatives to implement face recognition capabilities in patrol cars. • Iridian Technologies and the General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police have announced that the iris-based National Expellees Tracking and Border Control System has processed over one million travellers todate. The system was implemented to deter illegal immigrants from entering the United Arab Emirates (UAE) via air, land and sea ports of entry. The system has caught over 4,300 illegal or expelled immigrants carrying false travel documents.
26 October 2004. Slovenia is one of the 27 countries that have a visa waiver arrangement with the USA. According to a report by the European Biometric Forum, Bojan Trnovsek, an undersecretary at the country’s Interior Ministry said that the country will do all it can to start issuing passports with biometric features. Trnovsek said that the introduction of passports with biometric features was not an easy task, and indicated that Slovenia’s interior minister Rado Bohinc has appointed a special task force to deal with issues involving technology and implementation. Slovenia will be consulting other countries and international organisations regarding the introduction of these measures. The country is also awaiting the International Civil Aviation Organization’s update to its initial recommendations, which is expected this March.
company news
ZN/Viisage deal is done After almost a year of waiting, the acquisition of ZN Vision Technologies by Viisage Technology has been completed, creating the biometric industry’s largest facial recognition technology company. The deal, which was first announced in March 2003, had been severely hampered by questions from the US Securities and Exchange
• A bingo hall in Wyoming is using a biometric system from Solutions Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of T & G2. The SecureTime Biometric ID System is being used to track employee access and timekeeping. • The European Patent Office has announced its intention to grant Fingerprint Cards a patent - EP1330185 - based on a swipe sensor system design. The patent describes a system based on a sensor that reads partial images from a moving fingerprint, and where the sensor surface is considerably smaller than the fingerprint area itself. The company has also filed corresponding patent applications in Japan and the USA.
Biometric Technology Today • February 2004
Commission (SEC) surrounding Viisage’s method for recognising revenues on its drivers’ licence contracts. While the deal may have proceeded at snail’s pace over the last year, the companies have been proactive in working together on a number of major contracts – the companies’ combined offering has been at the heart of deals with the Province of Alberta, Canada, the State of Oklahoma, USA, and the United Arab Emirates. The new company could have approximately 50% of the overall facial recognition market, some analysts have calculated. Certainly, the geographical reach of the supplier is impressive, with Germany-based ZN having had a strong presence in Europe and Viisage being one of the market leaders in the USA. In terms of technology, the companies say that they have made good progress in bringing together the Eigenface technology from Viisage and the hierarchical graph matching technology from ZN. This integration will be central to the future company’s success. (Viisage’s technology development had apparently not kept pace with its closest rivals, such as Identix, in recent years, while ZN has reportedly got one of the better systems on the market.) Contact: Ralf Biesemeier at ZN, Tel. +49 234 9787 25, Fax +49 234 9787 77, email: [email protected] Bill Aulet at Viisage, Tel: +1 978 952 2200
Events Calendar 23–25 February 2004 Miami Beach, Florida, USA
26–29 April 2004 Washington, DC, USA
The Winter 2004 Biometrics Summit This annual biometric industry event is focusing on case studies, legal issues and general activities within the biometric identification community. Contact: ALI Conferences, Tel: www.aliconferences.com
This annual smart card, ID and biometric conference and exhibition is focusing on technological realities this year. There have been fewer attendees in recent years but this is still a large event comprising a sizeable exhibition and wide range of relevant conference seminars. Contact: Thomson media Tel: +1 212 803 8777, www.ctst.com
12–16 April 2004 Orlando, Florida, USA
15–17 July 2004 Hong Kong
Biometric Technology for Human Identification
International Conference on Biometric Authentication
Part of the SPIE Defense and Security Symposium, the purpose of this conference is to provide a scientific forum for researchers, engineers, system architects, and designers to report recent advances in this important area of human identification using biometrics. Contact: Bonnie Peterson email: [email protected], http://spie.org
This conference is designed for researchers, engineers and vendors from different disciplines to exchange ideas, identify problems, evaluate system performance, and explore new research directions. The conference will also include three competitions: FVC2004 (Fingerprint), FAC2004 (Face) and SVC2004 (Signature Verification). Contact: www4.comp.polyu.edu.hk/~icba
CardTech/SecurTech
5
Application news • A school in Phoenix has decided to implement a pilot facial recognition system in an attempt to protect children against potential sexual assault. Two cameras will scan the faces of people entering Royal Palm Middle School. They are linked to both state and national databases of sex offenders, missing children and alleged abductors. The cameras, which cost around US$3000, were donated by Phoenix-based Hummingbird. Despite criticism by civil liberty groups, funding is being sought to place cameras in every school in the state. • Eastern Associated Coal has taken delivery of a fingerprintbased time/attendance solution from Sense Holdings as part of a pilot evaluation. The Sense CheckPrint T/A Time and Attendance solution will be tested and evaluated at a mine in Fairview, West Virginia. The conditions are far from perfect for a biometric system, but if successful it could be rolled out across the workforce of around 6500. • A biometric time and attendance system is being used at a South African grape farm. Developed by Transmetrix, the company's SuperVision product is scanning the fingers of over a hundred workers on a daily basis. • Drexler Technology has received an order from Italy valued at US$3.8 million for optical memory cards to be used as the country's new national ID card, which rolls out in 56 cities in 2004. Italy plans to record each citizen's demographics, colour photograph, digitised signature and various biometrics onto the card's optical memory stripe.
4
As well as greater accuracy, there will be other benefits afforded by Aurora’s 3D FaceRec product. First, the technology is unaffected by variations in lighting conditions, and can therefore work in all environments – including total darkness. Secondly, 3D FaceRec takes into account the whole of the facial structure, which means that the technology is able to work when presented with a face at an angle. Contact: Tracey Cooper at Aurora, Tel: +44 870 606 0412
…as 3D portrait system is released DuPont Authentication Systems (DAS) and A4Vision have joined forces to provide a system that produces 3D images to incorporate in cards, passports and documents. The 3D image is embedded in a special film, and can be viewed from any angle. The 3D nature of the image enables an inspector to make a more reliable visual verification of the document’s authenticity, the company’s claim. The technology combines DAS’s Izon products and imaging process with A4Vision’s 3D facial biometric technology. Michael Zubretsky, COO of DAS commented: “Until now, only twodimensional photographic portraits were practical for use in a card or document. With Izon…and A4Vision’s 3D algorithms and cameras, we’re creating unique, secure, on-demand real-time images in less than 10 seconds.” The system uses the A4 Facial Enrollment Station to capture a 3D image. This is then transferred to the Izon deep 3D imager, which takes translated data and physically imparts the 3D image to Izon film ready to embed in a card or document. The systems are anticipated to be available in early 2004. Contact: Richard Zucker of DuPont Authentication Systems, Tel: +1 203 333 5503, email: [email protected]
integrate with 600 healthcare service providers throughout the country. BIO-key International, through a contract award by Biometric Technologies (PTY), is to deliver its WEB-key identification management and authentication solution. Web-Key will allow patients and healthcare providers to interact with pharmacies, hospitals and other medical specialists in order to prevent fraud (which is believed to be in the region of US$131 million annually in the South African private medical industry) and manage the administration of healthcare benefits. WEB-key software and a fingerprint scanner will be located at each site, enabling medical providers to identify and verify members, as well as ascertain their healthcare membership status and share information with other medical providers. Biometric Technologies (PTY) has already installed and tested its integrated software at a major medical aid administrator in South Africa. The entire network including enrolment and fingerprint scanners is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2004. The initial revenue to BIO-key from this phase is US$235,000. In the future the scheme could grow to include around two million people. In a separate development, BIO-key announced it did well in tests performed by the International Biometric Group (IBG). In the medium security category, BIO-key achieved a 0% False Accept Rate and a 0% False Reject Rate. Notably, BIOkey’s software was able to handle subjects enrolled with one device and verified on another. The performance metrics were derived from Round Five of IBG’s Comparative Biometric Testing conducted in 2003. These tests also tested facial recognition, iris recognition and hand geometry systems from many vendors. Test results reportedly showed a wide variance across the systems’ ability to enrol and match users, with failure-to-enrol rates ranging from 0% to more than 23%, and false accept rates ranging from 0% to more than 5% Contact: Albert Maruggi at BIO-key International, Tel: +1 612 325 8126 Michael Thieme at IBG, Tel: +1 212 809 9491, email: [email protected]
healthcare immigration
Biometrics fight healthcare fraud Biometrics will form a key component in a new project serving the healthcare industry in South Africa. The first phase of the project will enrol more than 52,500 government employees and
Slovenia aims to meet US passport deadline Slovenia has said it will do its utmost to meet the US requirement for biometric features to be embedded within its newly issued passports by
Biometric Technology Today • February 2004
NEWS
In brief • Viisage has been awarded a US$734,000 contract extension to fund the third phase of its facial recognition project with the Pinellas County's Sheriff 's Office (PCSO) in Florida. The supplier will focus on the expansion of the project into other Florida-based law enforcement agencies. Earlier work saw the introduction of image capture systems at detention facilities, jail visitation centres and courthouses, as well as initiatives to implement face recognition capabilities in patrol cars. • Iridian Technologies and the General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police have announced that the iris-based National Expellees Tracking and Border Control System has processed over one million travellers todate. The system was implemented to deter illegal immigrants from entering the United Arab Emirates (UAE) via air, land and sea ports of entry. The system has caught over 4,300 illegal or expelled immigrants carrying false travel documents.
26 October 2004. Slovenia is one of the 27 countries that have a visa waiver arrangement with the USA. According to a report by the European Biometric Forum, Bojan Trnovsek, an undersecretary at the country’s Interior Ministry said that the country will do all it can to start issuing passports with biometric features. Trnovsek said that the introduction of passports with biometric features was not an easy task, and indicated that Slovenia’s interior minister Rado Bohinc has appointed a special task force to deal with issues involving technology and implementation. Slovenia will be consulting other countries and international organisations regarding the introduction of these measures. The country is also awaiting the International Civil Aviation Organization’s update to its initial recommendations, which is expected this March.
company news
ZN/Viisage deal is done After almost a year of waiting, the acquisition of ZN Vision Technologies by Viisage Technology has been completed, creating the biometric industry’s largest facial recognition technology company. The deal, which was first announced in March 2003, had been severely hampered by questions from the US Securities and Exchange
• A bingo hall in Wyoming is using a biometric system from Solutions Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of T & G2. The SecureTime Biometric ID System is being used to track employee access and timekeeping. • The European Patent Office has announced its intention to grant Fingerprint Cards a patent - EP1330185 - based on a swipe sensor system design. The patent describes a system based on a sensor that reads partial images from a moving fingerprint, and where the sensor surface is considerably smaller than the fingerprint area itself. The company has also filed corresponding patent applications in Japan and the USA.
Biometric Technology Today • February 2004
Commission (SEC) surrounding Viisage’s method for recognising revenues on its drivers’ licence contracts. While the deal may have proceeded at snail’s pace over the last year, the companies have been proactive in working together on a number of major contracts – the companies’ combined offering has been at the heart of deals with the Province of Alberta, Canada, the State of Oklahoma, USA, and the United Arab Emirates. The new company could have approximately 50% of the overall facial recognition market, some analysts have calculated. Certainly, the geographical reach of the supplier is impressive, with Germany-based ZN having had a strong presence in Europe and Viisage being one of the market leaders in the USA. In terms of technology, the companies say that they have made good progress in bringing together the Eigenface technology from Viisage and the hierarchical graph matching technology from ZN. This integration will be central to the future company’s success. (Viisage’s technology development had apparently not kept pace with its closest rivals, such as Identix, in recent years, while ZN has reportedly got one of the better systems on the market.) Contact: Ralf Biesemeier at ZN, Tel. +49 234 9787 25, Fax +49 234 9787 77, email: [email protected] Bill Aulet at Viisage, Tel: +1 978 952 2200
Events Calendar 23–25 February 2004 Miami Beach, Florida, USA
26–29 April 2004 Washington, DC, USA
The Winter 2004 Biometrics Summit This annual biometric industry event is focusing on case studies, legal issues and general activities within the biometric identification community. Contact: ALI Conferences, Tel: www.aliconferences.com
This annual smart card, ID and biometric conference and exhibition is focusing on technological realities this year. There have been fewer attendees in recent years but this is still a large event comprising a sizeable exhibition and wide range of relevant conference seminars. Contact: Thomson media Tel: +1 212 803 8777, www.ctst.com
12–16 April 2004 Orlando, Florida, USA
15–17 July 2004 Hong Kong
Biometric Technology for Human Identification
International Conference on Biometric Authentication
Part of the SPIE Defense and Security Symposium, the purpose of this conference is to provide a scientific forum for researchers, engineers, system architects, and designers to report recent advances in this important area of human identification using biometrics. Contact: Bonnie Peterson email: [email protected], http://spie.org
This conference is designed for researchers, engineers and vendors from different disciplines to exchange ideas, identify problems, evaluate system performance, and explore new research directions. The conference will also include three competitions: FVC2004 (Fingerprint), FAC2004 (Face) and SVC2004 (Signature Verification). Contact: www4.comp.polyu.edu.hk/~icba
CardTech/SecurTech
5