US Airports Looking Toward Standardization

Whether it's for tracking baggage, boarding the planes themselves or eliminating homeland security hiccups, researchers continue to develop innovative techniques to eliminate inefficiencies and increase reliability at airports.

However, in installing such complex (and often costly) equipment, many airports are running into difficulties -- often budgetary limitations, political snags or just the hesitation to upgrade from traditional systems -- and the need for a standard only continues to grow.

While some sort of security standard across all national airports can be expected down the road, with the economy as it is and a new administration at the reigns, it remains to be seen how far off this is.

The TSA is currently in the process of creating and requiring standards for a unified airport access control system (involving biometrics and smart card personnel credentials) that could be read at airports nationwide. However, this initiative to issue credentials to more than 1.5 million airport workers and hundreds of thousands of airline employees has received mixed reviews. The infrastructure to exchange such biometric data and allow common identity vetting through the aviation community is nonexistent, and the nature of airport design is not conducive to such a communal system.

Many are quick to note the unique nature of individual airports and that the 'one-size-fits-all' mentality does not apply. In addition, other airport executives fear they'll have to start from scratch and tear out existing assets if a standard is put in place. I liked the quote from Mark Crosby, chief of public safety and security at the Portland International Airport and the Port of Portland who said: “Each airport is different and needs something that works...if you’ve seen one airport, you’ve seen one airport.”

Despite the difficulties, some airports are deploying individual systems aligned with their specific needs and budgetary concerns, such as the fingerprint and iris access control systems in cargo areas (and also operate vehicles) tested by the Port Authority of New York (and even our own 3VR system installed at Evansville Regional Airport). On the other hand, some are holding off in anticipation of government-prescribed standards being announced. Should we be holding our breath?

Jeanne Olivier, general manager of aviation security and technology at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, seems to think so:

“We’re about 80% of the way there for biometrics as a security solutions for airports,” Olivier said. But it’s probably still a couple of years before wide scale deployments begin. “We’re very close and there will be significant advances in the next two years.”

She's much more optimistic than others who note three to five years before a widespread deployment make their public debut.

While I don't know how quick the battle will be won -- we very well may be a few years off from concrete results -- the wheels are in motion to allow standardization in airport security, at least on the personnel level -- and that's progress in itself.

With these strides behind the scenes, as well as new technologies for passenger security (such as new surveillance mats that measure gait and may do away with frisking episodes), I'm impressed with the progress being made. Baby steps are just fine as long as we're going in the right direction.

LPR Systems Abound Both in the US and Abroad

Whether to capture bank robbers and kidnappers on the run in the Cincinnati region or just to enforce local parking lot limitations in Aspen, License Plate Recognition (LPR) systems are spreading quickly throughout the country -- and as evidenced from recent headlines, they are finding their way overseas as well.

Yesterday, the Anti-Aggression Brigade from the Brussels Police Department in Belgium announced its deployment of AutoVu, Genetec’s IP LPR solution, to help detect stolen vehicles throughout the city. The day before, Hi-Tech Solutions Ltd. announced that its LPR solution, SeeCar, was selected to automate access control in 1,300 parking spots for AFCON’s Fast Park in the B.S.R. Towers in Israel.

While each initiative is meant to achieve a distinct objective — in Belgium, to track and find stolen vehicles, and in Israel to ensure that only permitted guests enter parking lots and to block unwelcome vehicles — these projects demonstrate the growing trend of LPR across major cities and ultimately the rise of urban surveillance worldwide.

Reported success has been limited for the numerous projects deployed thus far; however, recent innovation in camera technology, increased sensitivity to privacy infringements, and the hope of thwarting criminal attempts and increased protection of urban populations should indicate a promising future for LPR technologies.

When Biometrics Firms Collide: $44m Consolidation Deal

L-1 Identity Solutions, a rapidly growing company in the biometrics space, in early January came to definitive agreement with Bioscrypt, the market leader in physical access control biometrics, to purchase the company for roughly $44 million.

“The access control market is about trust and reliability,” Atick said. “You want to know that the company behind a product is able to sustain itself in that marketplace. Having the L-1 brand behind Bioscrypt takes the issue of survivability off the table, and nobody’s going to be fired for investing in a Bioscrypt solution ... Now, not only is this a good product, but this is a very good company that will stand behind you.”

L-1 will pay the equivalent of $.55 per Bioscrypt share, based on the average closing price of L-1 stock for the 20 trading days leading up to the deal’s close. The purchase price represents a more than 55 percent premium on the $.36 per share trading price of Bioscrpyt on the day before the deal’s announcement.