Jamesburg, NJ – Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) seeking to employ biometrics to bolster existing security systems at airports across the country, has announced the selection of the LG IrisAccess 3000 iris recognition system for a new security initiative. The immediate deployment of equipment in four of Canada’s largest airports will lead to a 29 airport rollout. In choosing LG IrisAccess 3000, the second generation of the world’s best selling iris recognition platform, CATSA opted for the proven performance of a hardware system that is also used for tarmac and sensitive area access control at Schiphol (Amsterdam) John F. Kennedy (New York) and Frankfurt airports.
The LG IrisAccess 3000 differs from other choices in the iris sector in that it runs on an open architecture software platform, and can be deployed in a distributed environment. The Canadian deployment attests to the flexibility and ease with which the platform can be integrated with existing systems. This was a fundamental part of the RFP, as the four initial airports, not to mention the 25 follow-on hubs use security systems produced by a host of different manufacturers. In RS-232 or Wiegand environments, LG IrisAccess 3000 is essentially access system-agnostic. In addition to panel integration flexibility, the LG Iris Access 3000 is flexible in its ability to accommodate cards and other configurations providing 2-factor authentication. Proximity cards, as well as contact and contactless smartcards integrate easily. The Canadian deployment will operate in a 1:1 card-based environment that also provides the capability to operate in a 1:many search mode. According to the RFP, some 200,000 cards will eventually be issued.
In addition to tarmac access control, iris recognition technology and LG IrisAccess platform is also being used in aircrew and passenger processing not to mention early stage testing by private enterprise in loyalty program management. No other business on earth is quite as reliant on loyalty programs as the frequent flyer programs have rendered the airline industry, and there is simply no other biometric with the capability to operate in one to many mode from databases of millions in real time as iris recognition does. In fact, LG IrisAccess platforms are used in the Privium™ passenger processing application at Schiphol to afford frequent travelers access to “fast lane” treatment at immigration, as well as added value features such as special lounges, and parking privileges.
The CATSA move bodes well for the future. Worldwide annual air traffic has fallen off somewhat from its pre-2000 level of 1.5 billion passengers per year. Yet, it is still likely that by 2012, nearly 3.0 billion persons will travel annually by air. Aircraft manufactures Airbus and Boeing have already placed their bets on how this growth in traffic can be best handled. Less clear amidst new security realities is how the increased influx in passengers will be managed on the ground and in terminals. Faced with a choice of more airports, the need to check in four hours before a flight, or to become more reliant on solid technology-based authentication to process passengers, the logical answer is the technological one. Having decided that every Canadian airport employee will be biometrically registered in the only technology that was designed for 1-many search that also performs beautifully in 1-1 mode, Canada has taken a big step forward.
About LG Electronics, Iris Technology Division
LG Electronics, a principal component of South Korea’s LG Corp. has been active in iris recognition research, development and production since 1997. Today the US-based LG Iris Technology Division has global responsibility for all of the Company’s iris recognition activities. LG IrisAccess® is the world’s leading deployed iris recognition platform and in thousands of locations authenticating the identities of millions and millions of persons. More people look to LG IrisAccess® for iris-based authentication than to all other iris recognition products combined. To find out more, visit www.lgiris.com.