Efforts are under way to consolidate new security technologies that have developed as a result of the 11 September US terrorist attacks into a globally operable system.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation's New Technologies Working Group has been conducting research into the universal adoption of machine-readable travel documents (MRTDs), together with biometric identification. The combination would be vital in reducing identity fraud and could also link with databases tracking wanted individuals - be they terrorists or other criminals.
In parallel, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) is defining common technology and equipment capability standards enabling internationally compatible identification systems for security.
But equipment compatibility is not the ISO's primary task. It has to assess security objectives, then define minimum capabilities and specifications for equipment to perform the to internationally acceptable standards. Once these are in place, security equipment manufacturers can invest in designing security tools, confident they will meet ICAO approval.
ICAO says 600 million MRTDs have been issued worldwide, but they are not all internationally compatible and few can yet be integrated with biometric recognition. There are exceptions, such as a security system pilot programme on trial at London Gatwick Airport or a subscription fast-track system for frequent fliers being operated at Amsterdam Schiphol.
Ottawa, Canada-based AiT has been working with governments and industry to produce MRTDs, including drivers' licences, identity cards, security passes and passports. Its equipment can relate scans of a passport photograph to facial recognition technology (FRT) passenger data.
Also, the passport-holder's fingerprint or iris scan can be contained in a magnetic strip or a microchip embedded in the document. This can be read by the MRTD device and matched with a fingerprint or retinal scan which has been obtained from the passenger at the checkpoint.
The lead candidate technologies for biometric recognition include FRT and iris or fingerprint scanning. At present, ICAO says FRT is the one that "best meets all the requirements". ICAO says this includes enrolment, renewal, machine-assisted identity verification requirements, back-up arrangements in the event of systems failure, and public perceptions.
But with the rapid advance of technology, this could change. Jersey City, USA-based Visionics, an FRT manufacturer, has been providing equipment for customers as diverse as the London Borough of Newham, which has a criminal recognition database tied into 300 security cameras, and the Mexican Federal Election Institute, which uses it to prevent duplicate voting.
Source: Flight International
