The Canadian Air Transport Security (CATSA) Uses Iris Technology to Improve Airport Security and the Customer Experience
CATSA, a crown corporation of the government of Canada, uses Iris ID’s iris recognition hardware and software as part of the Restricted Area Identity Card (RAIC) program. The RAIC enables authorized personnel to access secure areas of the airport only after presenting both a valid card and the appropriate biometric. The iris recognition reader compares the biometric template stored on the card to the live sample presented by the individual. The biometric reader also validates the authenticity of the credential and confirms clearance on the basis of the access rights of the individual as set by the airport access control system. Since the pilot was first initiated in 2004, the program has expanded across 29 airports and successfully authenticates 250,000 employees. The program uses both iris and finger encoded on the smartcard card (HID iCLASS).
Transport Canada and CATSA have worked in partnership with the airport authorities to develop and deploy the RAIC solution. Every employee is enrolled and provided a RAIC identification number (RIN) upon successful completion of a government background check against the central database. The RIN is assigned to the card and access rights are granted by the existing airport access control system.
Biometric Badge Process at CATSA Network
- A user has their information entered at the enrollment/badge station
- An encrypted iris template is created
- The template is encoded onto a smart card, printed and given to the user
- The iCAM is embedded with smart card reader and serves as the verification station
- User presents their card/badge to the smart card reader in the iCAM
- The iCAM gives an audio prompt
- The user’s iris images are captured, converted to iris templates and then matched to those read from the smart card
- If matched, authorization request is sent to access control system