SOURCE: GE Security
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October 01, 2007 08:00 ET
GE Homeland Protection Takes Checkpoint of the Future Aviation Security Vision to Next Level With Air Passenger Identity Kiosk Development Program
ID Kiosk Development, Partially Funded by Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD), Seeks to Improve on Today's Manual Operator-Based Identity Systems
NEWARK, CA--(Marketwire - October 1, 2007) - GE Homeland Protection Inc., a business of GE
Security, Inc. and a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the General
Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), today announced it has begun a development program
designed to create an automated air passenger identification system
potentially more effective and less costly than the manual processes
employed at today's airport screening lanes. The program is being
partially funded by the Binational Industrial Research and Development
Foundation (BIRD).
The aviation identity kiosk development program seeks to supplement
advances in passenger screening already attained by GE Security's
Checkpoint of the Future initiative, bringing an advanced technology
solution to the head of the security lane where passengers'
government-issued ID photos are currently compared by security officials
with faces and the names on boarding passes.
Through this development program, GE Security hopes to be able to offer a
high-tech passenger identity kiosk providing further enhancements to
security and the passenger experience while helping to reduce operational
costs. The improvements are expected to come from integrating advanced
technologies to create a highly automated identification system
purpose-built for aviation security. The new solution is also expected to
further improve security by adding threat detection capabilities currently
not afforded by manual identification methods.
"GE Security is pleased to be leading this effort to bring potentially
dramatic improvements to the way in which commercial aviation passengers
are identified and screened," said Dennis Cooke, president, GE Security's
Homeland Protection business. "An outgrowth of our Checkpoint of the
Future initiative, we expect this automated passenger identification system
to ultimately be able to offer potential for improved security, operational
cost reductions and greater passenger convenience."
GE Security plans to leverage experience derived from its development and
fielding of the first integrated aviation security solution designed to
support the emerging Registered Traveler program. The kiosk is expected to
include visualization and facial recognition technology developed with GE
Global Research. This technology will automate the screening of individuals
by verifying a passenger's identity from a live image and the image on
their identification document.
Partial funding for the development program is being provided by the
Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD),
established by the United States and Israel in 1977 to fund joint U.S. -
Israeli teams in the development and subsequent commercialization of
innovative, non-defense technology products from which both the Israeli and
American companies can expect to derive benefits commensurate with their
investments and risks.
GE Security is partnering with Israeli company MITAM - Advanced Specialized
Technological Systems LTD (I-Sec Technologies B.V.), part of ICTS
International N.V. group, for the development of the identification
document-verification component, which is to be based on a variation of an
existing MITAM product that has been deployed for several years and the
companies' related experience with identity screening with external
databases as well as document authentication and validation.
The aim of GE Security's ongoing "Checkpoint of the Future" effort is to
identify technology solutions that may dramatically improve checkpoint
security while driving down the total cost of ownership for government and
airport operators around the world. The Checkpoint of the Future
laboratory, originally operated in San Francisco International Airport's
international terminal, is now based at GE Homeland Protection's Magnetics
Center of Excellence research center in San Diego.
For more information on the Binational Industrial Research and Development
Foundation (BIRD), visit
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/BIRD.html.
For more information on MITAM, visit www.isec-technologies.com.
About GE's Security Business
GE Security, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the General Electric
Company (NYSE: GE), is a leading supplier of security and life safety
technologies, with operations in more than 35 countries and $1.8 billion in
annual sales. GE Security offers one of the industry's broadest product
portfolios, covering explosives and narcotics detection, intrusion and
access control, video surveillance, key management, and fire detection. GE
Security's products are used to protect people and property across a wide
range of industries, including aviation, law enforcement, banking,
education, healthcare, mass transit, residential and retail.
GE Security was honored with Frost & Sullivan's 2007 Global Market
Leadership Award for Container Security Devices for its CommerceGuard
container security solution. For more information about GE Security and our
products, please visit www.gesecurity.com.
GE Security, making the world safer.
About GE Global Research
GE Global Research is one of the world's most diversified industrial
research organizations, providing innovative technology for all of GE's
businesses. Global Research has been the cornerstone of GE technology for
more than 100 years, and is now focused on developing breakthrough
innovations in areas such as molecular medicine, alternative energy,
nanotechnology, advanced propulsion, and security technologies. GE Global
Research is headquartered in Niskayuna, N.Y., and has facilities in
Bangalore, India; Shanghai, China; and Munich, Germany. Visit Global
Research at www.ge.com/research.