Vision-Box has been working with Finnish border authorities to develop what the company says is the first EU Entry/Exit System (“EES”) within the Schengen area, the company has revealed.
The project first got underway in early 2019, with the Finnish Border Guard (“RAJA”) and Vision-Box working together on a border screening system for Helsinki Airport, the country’s busiest airport. The end goal is to implement digital passenger processing featuring automated biometric data collection, in line with protocols laid out by European Union officials.
For its part of the project, Vision-Box has been providing border control hardware via its Orchestra Identity & Border Management Platform. This entails the use of touchscreen kiosks as well as contactless biometric identification.
In a statement announcing the project, Vision-Box did not specify which biometric modalities are in play at the Helsinki Airport; but it’s worth noting that Vision-Box’s recently approved pilots at two Bulgarian land borders were to feature the use of facial recognition and touchless fingerprint sensors.
Commenting on the project, Vision-Box Strategic Sales and Global Partnerships VP Jeff Lennon emphasized its importance in paving the way forward with respect to the European Union’s new border screening requirements for member states of the Schengen Area, in which unrestricted movement is permitted for citizens of the 26 participating countries.
“Finland has become the Smart Borders pioneer by implementing the first EES project inside the Schengen space, leveraging Vision-Box’s expertise and innovative solutions,” he said. “The country is now the reference for a successful, secure, safe, and compliant solution for EES’ enablement at air borders.”
That having been said, work on the project is ongoing, with Vision-Box and RAJA planning to execute its final phase of the latter part of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022.
–
July 6, 2021 – by Alex Perala
Follow Us