Notícias
TECHNOLOGY - Biometrics will lead to radical customer experience changes at airports
28/03/2017
*author: Juan Carlos Tejedor, HID Biometrics
In the past few years, biometric technology has become both increasingly sophisticated and increasingly present in the daily life of millions of people. That is mainly due to its enhanced security, convenience and ease of use – after all, each of us carries their iris, face, hands and fingerprints with them. Another competitive advantage of biometrics is its seamless integration with other protection solutions – although of course only biometrics technology can make sure the person using an ID card, for example, is really who they claim to be. Even if biometrics is not explicitly mentioned by airport regulations, it plays an important role in ensuring that the stated rules are observed, regarding operational safety and security, maintenance, emergency handling, and even passenger experience.
Biometric technology comprises three basic steps: 1) capturing an image; 2) making sure it corresponds to the biological information of a living person; and 3) access to unique identity data and subsequent authentication. We have been witnessing the emergence of several new instances of that sort of technology – examining, for example, the way a person moves their mouth when speaking. That said, each one of them is known to be prone to failure in specific circumstances. To this day, fingerprint-based technology is still associated with the highest levels of accuracy. Moreover, it allows for a unified register, since a number of personal documents – such as national identity cards, driver licenses, electoral registers, and passports – require fingerprint storage.
When one thinks of a biometric solution fitting the various needs of an airport, what comes to mind is not regular fingerprint-based scanning, but multispectral imaging technology, created by Lumidigm®. The reason for this is key as MSI sensors have been specifically designed to work in a wide array of settings – in both outdoor and indoor spaces, as well as under adverse weather conditions, such as heavy rain or snow. Furthermore, the sensors readily identify not only the surface of the skin, but also subsurface tissue nourished by blood vessels. That is key to preventing most fraud attempts. After all, it is simply not enough to have a card stating one's identity, without any way to prove the cardholder is who they claim to be.
Once an airport invests in that kind of technology, its usage can be extremely varied. If, for example, the ignition of a plane requires both physical keys and the pilot's fingerprints, that further security layer would be very useful against terrorist threats – unfortunately, a very real risk nowadays. The use cases of biometric technology go much beyond granting access to strategic environments. It may replace boarding tickets and even passports, improve border control, and make the access to waiting lounges and other facilities more convenient. In other words, biometrics can greatly impact passenger experience.
Multispectral imaging technology provides users with a superior level of security, much beyond what paper or plastic cards can offer. No one will be able to pose as someone else – that is an irreversible trend for the coming years. With the increasing use of that technology in several aspects of people's daily lives – including the way they move between airports and between countries – information checks have become more practical and efficient. This will lead to improved safety and comfort for society. Security is now at our fingertips.
*Juan Carlos Tejedor is the sales director for Latin America of HID Biometrics, Lumidigm® brand