Philadelphia Airport conducts a pilot facial recognition program

VeriScan appliances are being used for this project, NEC and SITA, and an iPad or tablet has been installed at the gate kiosks. The program also includes a test of digital instructional signals.

Philadelphia International Airport (Philadelphia International Airport – Phl) has launched a pilot using biometric control technologies at three international gates. This initiative, that started the past 21 January and will last for 45 Days, will help at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Customs and Border Protection – Cbp) identifying passengers leaving the country.

Biometric control allows you to verify the identity of travelers using facial scans with photos that are already archived in the federal government. CBP has been forced by federal law to use biometric exit controls for foreigners (excluding Canadian citizens who do not need a visa to enter the United States and diplomatic and government visa holders).

As a CBP partner, the PHL has installed a team to capture facial images of travelers leaving the United States; while CBP has installed the system for travelers entering the country.

The project features biometric systems for veriScan, Nec And Sita, that have been installed on the A15 doors, A16 and A17 for certain international departure flights in Qatar, British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines.

According to CBP, “travelers who do not wish to participate in this facial comparison process can notify an official, airline or airport representative to look for an alternative means of verifying their identities and documents”. Photos of U.S. citizens are discarded within the 12 hours of identity verification.

For this pilot program, an iPad or tablet has been mounted on the kiosks of the gates. As the passenger goes to the biometric scanner, facial recognition device scans your face and identifies it with a database.

Also, the project also includes a test of digital instructional signals. Synectecmedia digital signage totems ReadySeeGo display multimedia and bilingual content to raise awareness of biometric cameras and provide them with instructions on their use.

These digital media are expected to increase efficiency and commitment during the inspection process, facilitating passenger flow and reducing the need for gate agents to use the passenger steering system.

At the end of the 45 days of the implementation of this pilot program, an analysis will be carried out up to the 1 May to determine which technology worked best. Full deployment could take up to a year.

Other articles on Philadelphia International Airport, Cbp, Nec, ReadySeeGo, Sita, veriScan