The US Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) is ready to move ahead with the development of a Biometric Entry-Exit Program of Record, reaching out to industry in a Special Notice via the US General Services Administration.
It’s the next step after tests involving one-to-one facial matching, mobile biometrics collection, outdoor facial and iris scanning, and a facial biometrics capture experiment at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Now, the CBP says it will focus on developing an air travel screening solution based on facial recognition, and that it’s “committed to delivering a solution at the top Gateway Airports beginning in 2018.”
The solution will involve the use of a cloud-based system that can match faces to biometric data contained in flight manifests, with the system able to “interface with airlines and other third party providers.” The CBP plans to expand the use of this “back-end” system to eight new locations beyond the Atlanta testing ground in late spring or early summer of this year, and will work with “air travel partners” to see how it can be integrated into their systems.
The development arrives as border authorities north of the border ramp up efforts to establish biometric kiosk systems at multiple Canadian airports. For its part, the CBP says it is ” looking at innovative procurement options including public/private partnerships, smaller procurements, and leveraging DHS enterprise capabilities,” though no single contractor will oversee the entire biometric border screening program across land, sea, and air.
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March 7, 2017 – by Alex Perala
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