Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s Office of Technology has announced its in-house developed veriScan biometric identity verification software has surpassed 1 million outbound international passengers processed, just over a year after its launch.
VeriScan is used at Washington Dulles International Airport to streamline passenger verification and enables paperless boarding, while meeting the requirements of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP’s) Biometric Exit, according to the authority.
“When we set out to meet the congressional safety and security mandate, we took it as an opportunity not only to meet the biometric compliance standards, but to use it as a springboard to help create a better airport experience for our passengers,” comments Goutam Kundu, chief information officer for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. “VeriScan has gained the attention and support of other airports and airlines because it’s cost-effective, extremely simple to deploy and allows passengers to board flights with ease.”
The authority says that veriScan flexibility and minimal requirements of a Wi-Fi connection and portable mounting device are a significant advantage over the significant space, large equipment and dedicated wiring and cabling required by other facial recognition systems.
VeriScan, which works with CBP Traveler Verification Service for near-instant identity verification, has been implemented with 38 international carriers in six U.S. airports, and has operated with a verification success rate of 98.5 percent.
The technology was already installed at automated passport control kiosks, but now ticket and passport information will be registered at check-in so travelers will no longer have to show the documents in the process. The Japanese government wants 40 million foreigners to visit Japan in 2020.
The technology will be deployed at Narita and Haneda near Tokyo and Kansai near Osaka, with a total spend of around 3.2 billion yen ($29.2 million). It will be covered by a departure tax collected from tourists as of January. Starting with the new fiscal year, the tax will go up 8 percent, to some 54 billion yen ($492 million).
Jamaica’s airports will also be equipped with facial recognition technology as the country is adding 15 automated immigration kiosks at the Sangster International Airport (SIA) in Montego Bay, St James, according to St. Lucia News Online.
“The future of tourism is predicated on technology and this move today which is a continuation of the development of a smarter tourism experience and particularly, smarter airport arrangements to facilitate seamlessness in visitor entry experience in our destination,” Bartlett said.
In Sweden, the Data Inspectorate will be meeting with the police to consult on how to start a facial recognition pilot at border inspection at Skavsta airport, the institution writes (as per Google Translate). The system involves placing a camera at border control to take a picture of the traveler. Biometric facial recognition is then used to match the image taken with one stored in the passenger’s passport.
Under EU and Swedish law, the police can already run biometric checks at the border.
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