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Stanley wins double contract award with US Army
NEWS
PRODUCT NEWS Plantiga Technologies in Canada is the latest entrant into the field of gait recognition. Unlike other solutions, however, its technology relies on the subjects wearing special shoes, which transmit the gait information, rather than video surveillance. The benefit, it claims, is that the system can track users wherever they go. The technology is still in the development stage but a product prototype is expected soon. PerSay has extended its voice biometric VocalPassword technology to Apple’s mobile devices – the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The voice recognition system provides login and authentication capabilities when used in conjunction with the company’s VocalPassword Web service interface, and PerSay claims it’s possible to embed the interface in apps with minimal overhead. Elephant Talk Communications (ETAK), which specialises in the telecommunications and financial services industries, has launched VALid-SVP (Speaker Verification Platform), a voice biometric solution for ID authentication. It has evolved from R&D work by ValidSoft, an ETAK subsidiary based in Ireland, carried out as part of the Alize research project funded by the European Union. The technology includes extensions such as a secure voice-print database manager and an enrolment module with control of voice print quality. MaxID has launched the iDL300 – a smaller cousin to its existing iDL500 – a portable device capable of scanning fingerprints as well as reading barcodes and contactless cards. It includes a colour 640x480 pixel display that is readable in sunlight. The firm is aiming the device at applications such at border management, maritime security and perimeter security. Swedish firm Precise Biometrics has released a new range of match-on-card products, and has also picked up a hardware order for a government match-on-card project. The company hasn’t said which government placed the order, only that it’s worth SEK4.3m and is for its Precise 200 MC combined fingerprint and smartcard readers. They are to be used for extending an existing ID card programme. The new match-on-card products comply with the ISO 19794-2 standard, which specifies a minutia template format for matching fingerprint templates on a smartcard. The products have been accompanied by new tools for smartcards and applications. MorphoTrak is the first company to integrate Cross Match Technologies’ L SCAN 1000PX scanner into its solutions. The Cross Match scanner is claimed to be the fastest of its kind, capable of capturing 1000ppi fingerprint and palmprint images in les than 0.5sec. MorphoTrak is using the technology in its livescan workstations.
4
Biometric Technology Today
Division were $1.43m, compared with $280,685. (Overall revenues for BIO-key were higher in 2009, but in December 2009 the company divested itself of its Law Enforcement Division.) Higher service and licensing sales also helped boost profit margins.
defence
Stanley wins double contract award with US Army
U
S systems integration and professional services firm Stanley has won two biometrics-related contracts in support of the US Army Intelligence Center Language Technology Office at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Both are two-year contracts. A $6.7m deal covers information technology support services, while a $1.22 contract with the Defense Information Technology Contracting Organisation is for operational support. Under the first, Stanley will provide expertise for a broad range of programmes related to the development of biometric and forensic-related applications and the management, maintenance and operation of government-owned network equipment. Stanley will continue the development of the Detainee Information Management System and the Multilingual Automated Registration System. These applications provide for the screening and enrolment of displaced persons, refugees and evacuees, detainees and other persons of interest. Additionally, Stanley will provide support for the development of forensic applications and capabilities for all stages of the forensic process. Under the second award, Stanley will provide field support and network maintenance. “Biometrics and forensics capabilities are a key component to winning the war on terrorism,” said Kathy Debolt, deputy manager for biometrics and forensics at the US Army Intelligence Center of Excellence. ”These projects will provide powerful tools to help protect our warfighters in theatre and provide security for local governments.”
healthcare
Halfpenny turns to HT for health solutions
H
alfpenny Technologies is integrating HT Systems’ PatientSecure biometric ID systems into its own
Health Information Exchange (HIE) solutions. “By bundling PatientSecure with our HIE offerings, we’re not only decreasing the time it takes to move a patient through the administrative process within high-volume labs, but are also adding an even stronger layer of security to help prevent fraud and identity theft,” said Jerry Baker, CEO of Halfpenny Technologies. “In addition, patients no longer have to complete duplicate paperwork and answer sensitive identity questions each time they visit the lab, increasing patient satisfaction and improving lab workflow.” The integration means that patients who have previously visited a lab’s service centre are instantly identified in the lab’s registration system through the use of palm scanning. The patient’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is automatically retrieved, decreasing the number of steps required to access a record and helping to ensure that the correct patient is matched with the correct record. “Improving the accuracy of patient identification while also streamlining the patient registration process is crucial to helping labs deliver exceptional service,” said Carl Bertrams, senior vice-president, sales and marketing of HT Systems. “Through integration of HT Systems’ PatientSecure with Halfpenny’s HIE solutions, labs are able to further ensure patient safety, enhance the reliability of EMRs by eliminating duplicate medical records and significantly reduce patient wait times – all at a time when administrative efficiency and patient convenience are increasingly in the spotlight.”
industry
IBIA adopts new name and outlook
T
he IBIA industry association has refashioned itself to represent the broader issues of identity verification. Formerly the International Biometric Industry Association, the Washington, DC-based group is now called the International Biometrics & Identification Association. The change reflects the increasingly vital role that identity verification and authentication play in modern life; the growing importance of issues such as identity theft, immigration, data security and homeland security; and the ever-more varied solutions that are appearing to address these challenges. “Without a doubt, there are many opportunities to ensure that technology is used effectively
July/August 2010
PRODUCT NEWS Plantiga Technologies in Canada is the latest entrant into the field of gait recognition. Unlike other solutions, however, its technology relies on the subjects wearing special shoes, which transmit the gait information, rather than video surveillance. The benefit, it claims, is that the system can track users wherever they go. The technology is still in the development stage but a product prototype is expected soon. PerSay has extended its voice biometric VocalPassword technology to Apple’s mobile devices – the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The voice recognition system provides login and authentication capabilities when used in conjunction with the company’s VocalPassword Web service interface, and PerSay claims it’s possible to embed the interface in apps with minimal overhead. Elephant Talk Communications (ETAK), which specialises in the telecommunications and financial services industries, has launched VALid-SVP (Speaker Verification Platform), a voice biometric solution for ID authentication. It has evolved from R&D work by ValidSoft, an ETAK subsidiary based in Ireland, carried out as part of the Alize research project funded by the European Union. The technology includes extensions such as a secure voice-print database manager and an enrolment module with control of voice print quality. MaxID has launched the iDL300 – a smaller cousin to its existing iDL500 – a portable device capable of scanning fingerprints as well as reading barcodes and contactless cards. It includes a colour 640x480 pixel display that is readable in sunlight. The firm is aiming the device at applications such at border management, maritime security and perimeter security. Swedish firm Precise Biometrics has released a new range of match-on-card products, and has also picked up a hardware order for a government match-on-card project. The company hasn’t said which government placed the order, only that it’s worth SEK4.3m and is for its Precise 200 MC combined fingerprint and smartcard readers. They are to be used for extending an existing ID card programme. The new match-on-card products comply with the ISO 19794-2 standard, which specifies a minutia template format for matching fingerprint templates on a smartcard. The products have been accompanied by new tools for smartcards and applications. MorphoTrak is the first company to integrate Cross Match Technologies’ L SCAN 1000PX scanner into its solutions. The Cross Match scanner is claimed to be the fastest of its kind, capable of capturing 1000ppi fingerprint and palmprint images in les than 0.5sec. MorphoTrak is using the technology in its livescan workstations.
4
Biometric Technology Today
Division were $1.43m, compared with $280,685. (Overall revenues for BIO-key were higher in 2009, but in December 2009 the company divested itself of its Law Enforcement Division.) Higher service and licensing sales also helped boost profit margins.
defence
Stanley wins double contract award with US Army
U
S systems integration and professional services firm Stanley has won two biometrics-related contracts in support of the US Army Intelligence Center Language Technology Office at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Both are two-year contracts. A $6.7m deal covers information technology support services, while a $1.22 contract with the Defense Information Technology Contracting Organisation is for operational support. Under the first, Stanley will provide expertise for a broad range of programmes related to the development of biometric and forensic-related applications and the management, maintenance and operation of government-owned network equipment. Stanley will continue the development of the Detainee Information Management System and the Multilingual Automated Registration System. These applications provide for the screening and enrolment of displaced persons, refugees and evacuees, detainees and other persons of interest. Additionally, Stanley will provide support for the development of forensic applications and capabilities for all stages of the forensic process. Under the second award, Stanley will provide field support and network maintenance. “Biometrics and forensics capabilities are a key component to winning the war on terrorism,” said Kathy Debolt, deputy manager for biometrics and forensics at the US Army Intelligence Center of Excellence. ”These projects will provide powerful tools to help protect our warfighters in theatre and provide security for local governments.”
healthcare
Halfpenny turns to HT for health solutions
H
alfpenny Technologies is integrating HT Systems’ PatientSecure biometric ID systems into its own
Health Information Exchange (HIE) solutions. “By bundling PatientSecure with our HIE offerings, we’re not only decreasing the time it takes to move a patient through the administrative process within high-volume labs, but are also adding an even stronger layer of security to help prevent fraud and identity theft,” said Jerry Baker, CEO of Halfpenny Technologies. “In addition, patients no longer have to complete duplicate paperwork and answer sensitive identity questions each time they visit the lab, increasing patient satisfaction and improving lab workflow.” The integration means that patients who have previously visited a lab’s service centre are instantly identified in the lab’s registration system through the use of palm scanning. The patient’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is automatically retrieved, decreasing the number of steps required to access a record and helping to ensure that the correct patient is matched with the correct record. “Improving the accuracy of patient identification while also streamlining the patient registration process is crucial to helping labs deliver exceptional service,” said Carl Bertrams, senior vice-president, sales and marketing of HT Systems. “Through integration of HT Systems’ PatientSecure with Halfpenny’s HIE solutions, labs are able to further ensure patient safety, enhance the reliability of EMRs by eliminating duplicate medical records and significantly reduce patient wait times – all at a time when administrative efficiency and patient convenience are increasingly in the spotlight.”
industry
IBIA adopts new name and outlook
T
he IBIA industry association has refashioned itself to represent the broader issues of identity verification. Formerly the International Biometric Industry Association, the Washington, DC-based group is now called the International Biometrics & Identification Association. The change reflects the increasingly vital role that identity verification and authentication play in modern life; the growing importance of issues such as identity theft, immigration, data security and homeland security; and the ever-more varied solutions that are appearing to address these challenges. “Without a doubt, there are many opportunities to ensure that technology is used effectively
July/August 2010