- Email: [email protected]
Yemen bank opts for iris
NEWS/COMMENT ...continued from page 11 documents and a new ANSI/INCITS standard defines the framework for deploying identity assurance capabilities that can be accessed using services-based frameworks (e.g. web services). Information about all the newly published standards can be found in the Summary of Published and Emerging Biometrics Standards reports at www.biometricsinternational.org and www.nationalbiometric.org.
terminals
Flurry of handheld biometric readers announced
S
eptember saw a range of handheld biometric readers launched on the market from a plethora of different suppliers. First up came Cogent who announced the release of the Fusion, a ruggedized, multi-modal, handheld biometric system. The company says the device was designed and built with input from the Department of Defense’s Special Operations community and is built to military MIL-STD-810 and Ingress Protection standards to handle stringent conditions. It has also been rigorously tested by the US Army’s Biometric Task Force (BTF). The Fusion is equipped with full multimodal capability – with a 500 dpi FBI certified fingerprint sensor, high resolution camera for facial portrait capture, and high resolution infrared camera for iris and fingerprint latent capture. Cogent announced that its Fusion device can capture and store tens of thousands of records consisting of forensic-quality fingerprints, latent fingerprints, iris images, photos, and textual data for onboard watchlist searching. From a portability viewpoint the device weighs in at 1.2 pounds and is equipped with a 3.5 inch colour display and fits in the cargo pocket of standard tactical trousers. Second up came an announcement by Datastrip that its biometric terminals can now be enabled with a scanner and supporting software to use iris biometrics. The iris scan technology is available for all of Datastrip’s handheld biometric terminals. In adding the iris scanner to its existing product line, Datastrip says it is allowing existing and future customers to build and buy products that grow as their application needs change. Datastrip claims that its military and law 12
Biometric Technology Today
enforcement customers have asked for this new capability. (Btt understands that the algorithm being included with the scanner is provided by UK-based Smart Sensors.) In another announcement Datastrip announced its DSVII range of mobile handheld biometric devices is now available with Motorola’s TETRA Communications. According to Datastrip, the TETRA Communications Modem, known as the TOM100 modem is integrated into the mobile terminal to provide widearea data communications. In other terminal news, 3M announced it has introduced a new hand-held data terminal for identity management on the move. It has already been put to the test, being used by Swiss Border Guard officers for reading and processing passports and identity documents of soccer fans travelling via train to the recent Euro 2008 event. According to the company, the 3M Mobile ID Reader is designed for maximum portability, ease of use and reliability and can read MRZ and RF chip data from passports, ID cards and other documents that serve as proof of identification. The 3M Mobile ID Reader combines 3M’s own reader technology with Psion Teklogix’s WORKABOUT PRO hand-held data terminal to scan passengers’ identity documents and capture their biometric data, verify these against a watch list and compile a manifest for export to a border control system.
iris recognition
Yemen bank opts for iris
T
he Cooperative & Agricultural Credit Bank (CAC) in the Republic of Yemen has awarded a contract to IrisGuard to provide an iris biometric identification management system for its customers. The company’s IrisGuard iBank Suite will be used to authenticate banking transactions for all the bank’s clients. Cooperative & Agricultural Credit Bank is the largest agricultural, corporate, retail and commercial bank in Yemen. It is the first bank in the republic to deploy such technology. at all its 50 branches. All teller and customer services desks will be equipped with IrisGuard IG-AD100 iris imagers. Later this year, it is expected the solution will be extended to customer internet online-banking services and employee time and attendance. Additionally all 80 ATM units deployed at Cooperative & Agricultural Credit Bank branches throughout Yemen will be equipped with the company’s latest Dual Eye IG-AD100 Iris Cameras with an enhanced user interface that provides greater user security, usability, accountability, accuracy and low operational cost.
COMMENT With the credit crunch bearing down on the world’s economies, and the whole financial sector undergoing a massive correction, the biometric industry is without doubt facing difficult times ahead. Speaking to companies, particularly in North America, one gets the sense that they are battening down the hatches and preparing for a protracted crisis. However, it is not all doom and gloom. Business does not stop in a recession, it merely becomes more focused. And in many cases it allows the Crème de la Crème of companies to emerge stronger than ever. There will undoubtedly be unexpected casualties, as access to funding dries up and non-critical projects get put on hold. But as can been seen in this issue of Btt, many projects are critical, especially in the government and public sector. Government projects are also often governed by legislative requirements. A good case in point is the requirement for European countries to work towards a June 2009
deadline for the incorporation of fingerprint data into second-generation electronic passports. One can never be sure, but the credit crunch is unlikely to have a significant impact on this area of work. National ID card projects are another good example, and in the UK this project appears to be moving at pace, albeit with increasing opposition from unions and the airline sector. Companies focusing on private sector projects may find the going a little tougher. However, where a biometric system can be clearly demonstrated to cut costs and improve efficiency, this is just the sort of language that makes sense in tighter economic times. Meanwhile, consumer facing biometrics, such as fingerprints in mobile phones, could also prosper. Whilst one would imagine mobile handset sales to stagnate, the pressure will be on for phone manufacturers to produce devices that set themselves apart from the competition. And this is something that biometrics can really deliver on. Mark Lockie
October 2008
terminals
Flurry of handheld biometric readers announced
S
eptember saw a range of handheld biometric readers launched on the market from a plethora of different suppliers. First up came Cogent who announced the release of the Fusion, a ruggedized, multi-modal, handheld biometric system. The company says the device was designed and built with input from the Department of Defense’s Special Operations community and is built to military MIL-STD-810 and Ingress Protection standards to handle stringent conditions. It has also been rigorously tested by the US Army’s Biometric Task Force (BTF). The Fusion is equipped with full multimodal capability – with a 500 dpi FBI certified fingerprint sensor, high resolution camera for facial portrait capture, and high resolution infrared camera for iris and fingerprint latent capture. Cogent announced that its Fusion device can capture and store tens of thousands of records consisting of forensic-quality fingerprints, latent fingerprints, iris images, photos, and textual data for onboard watchlist searching. From a portability viewpoint the device weighs in at 1.2 pounds and is equipped with a 3.5 inch colour display and fits in the cargo pocket of standard tactical trousers. Second up came an announcement by Datastrip that its biometric terminals can now be enabled with a scanner and supporting software to use iris biometrics. The iris scan technology is available for all of Datastrip’s handheld biometric terminals. In adding the iris scanner to its existing product line, Datastrip says it is allowing existing and future customers to build and buy products that grow as their application needs change. Datastrip claims that its military and law 12
Biometric Technology Today
enforcement customers have asked for this new capability. (Btt understands that the algorithm being included with the scanner is provided by UK-based Smart Sensors.) In another announcement Datastrip announced its DSVII range of mobile handheld biometric devices is now available with Motorola’s TETRA Communications. According to Datastrip, the TETRA Communications Modem, known as the TOM100 modem is integrated into the mobile terminal to provide widearea data communications. In other terminal news, 3M announced it has introduced a new hand-held data terminal for identity management on the move. It has already been put to the test, being used by Swiss Border Guard officers for reading and processing passports and identity documents of soccer fans travelling via train to the recent Euro 2008 event. According to the company, the 3M Mobile ID Reader is designed for maximum portability, ease of use and reliability and can read MRZ and RF chip data from passports, ID cards and other documents that serve as proof of identification. The 3M Mobile ID Reader combines 3M’s own reader technology with Psion Teklogix’s WORKABOUT PRO hand-held data terminal to scan passengers’ identity documents and capture their biometric data, verify these against a watch list and compile a manifest for export to a border control system.
iris recognition
Yemen bank opts for iris
T
he Cooperative & Agricultural Credit Bank (CAC) in the Republic of Yemen has awarded a contract to IrisGuard to provide an iris biometric identification management system for its customers. The company’s IrisGuard iBank Suite will be used to authenticate banking transactions for all the bank’s clients. Cooperative & Agricultural Credit Bank is the largest agricultural, corporate, retail and commercial bank in Yemen. It is the first bank in the republic to deploy such technology. at all its 50 branches. All teller and customer services desks will be equipped with IrisGuard IG-AD100 iris imagers. Later this year, it is expected the solution will be extended to customer internet online-banking services and employee time and attendance. Additionally all 80 ATM units deployed at Cooperative & Agricultural Credit Bank branches throughout Yemen will be equipped with the company’s latest Dual Eye IG-AD100 Iris Cameras with an enhanced user interface that provides greater user security, usability, accountability, accuracy and low operational cost.
COMMENT With the credit crunch bearing down on the world’s economies, and the whole financial sector undergoing a massive correction, the biometric industry is without doubt facing difficult times ahead. Speaking to companies, particularly in North America, one gets the sense that they are battening down the hatches and preparing for a protracted crisis. However, it is not all doom and gloom. Business does not stop in a recession, it merely becomes more focused. And in many cases it allows the Crème de la Crème of companies to emerge stronger than ever. There will undoubtedly be unexpected casualties, as access to funding dries up and non-critical projects get put on hold. But as can been seen in this issue of Btt, many projects are critical, especially in the government and public sector. Government projects are also often governed by legislative requirements. A good case in point is the requirement for European countries to work towards a June 2009
deadline for the incorporation of fingerprint data into second-generation electronic passports. One can never be sure, but the credit crunch is unlikely to have a significant impact on this area of work. National ID card projects are another good example, and in the UK this project appears to be moving at pace, albeit with increasing opposition from unions and the airline sector. Companies focusing on private sector projects may find the going a little tougher. However, where a biometric system can be clearly demonstrated to cut costs and improve efficiency, this is just the sort of language that makes sense in tighter economic times. Meanwhile, consumer facing biometrics, such as fingerprints in mobile phones, could also prosper. Whilst one would imagine mobile handset sales to stagnate, the pressure will be on for phone manufacturers to produce devices that set themselves apart from the competition. And this is something that biometrics can really deliver on. Mark Lockie
October 2008