NIST Study Suggests Use of Iris Images for Long-Term Identification
A new study by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows that people’s irises don’t typically suffer from aging effects, making them usable for decades for biometric matching. The study follow recent research that shows that recognition of iris images is increasingly difficult after just three years due to aging, NIST says. The NIST researchers reviewed the data but could not find that iris texture itself was changing. The project lead on the testing, Patrick Grother, says he hopes the model used will “be applicable to other biometric aging studies such as face aging because of their ability to represent variation across individuals who appear in a biometric system irregularly.”
Sandia Tests Mobile Radiation Detection System
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have completed acceptance testing of the mobile radiation detection system able to scan containers that are in transit from one cargo ship to another at a port. The Mobile Radiation Detection and Identification System (MRDIS) was developed by Sandia in response to an Energy Department need for a technology that could scan transshipped cargo. Current radiation detection systems used at seaport are at fixed locations, typically an exit, and are unable to scan shipments unloaded from one ship and then loaded on another ship at the same port. Two MRDIS prototypes were developed in 2006 and field tested in Oman. Then the DoE’s National Nuclear Security Agency ordered 12 of the systems, eight of which have been deployed worldwide, four to Panama in Nov. 2012 and four to Oman last summer. The ports are each using three of the systems as primary scanners and a fourth, equipped with more sophisticated detection equipment, as a secondary scanner. DoE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and DRS Technologies, the North American division of Italy’s Finmeccanica, worked in partnership with Sandia on the program.
MorphoTrust Says its Iris ID Software Most Accurate in NIST Evaluation
MorphoTrust USA says its iris identification technology was the most accurate and among the fastest in evaluations conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the Iris Exchange IV. The study compares the performance of iris algorithms from leading vendors and academic providers. “The accuracy of iris recognition, together with remarkably fast search speed and efficient small template size, make it an ideal biometric for next generation identity applications,” says Brian Martin, director of biometric research for MorphoTrust. MorphoTrust USA is a division of France’s Safran Group.
NICE Deploys Security Management Platform for Houston Ship Channel
Israel’s NICE Systems [NICE] has deployed its Situator security management software system and its NiceVision Net video surveillance and management system to secure the Houston Ship, one of the busiest waterways in the U.S. The orders for the systems were placed in 2012 and 2013. The security systems were implemented in coordination with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Harris County Information Technology Center and will enable collaboration across regional agencies. The Situator platform is being used at the Sheriff’s Office to fuse information from fixed and mobile video, radar, sonar, Automated Identification System ship tracking and more, and automate response plans so that operators can visualize and manage situations in real-time on land and on the water. The software has also been deployed in the county’s Mobile Command Center and other locations in collaboration with the Police Department of the Port of Houston Authority, the county Emergency Management Office and the Coast Guard to improve coordination and interoperability. The NiceVision Net is a web client for the video solutions and a mobile client for Situator so that first responders can view task lists and more effectively coordinate their response processes. “We view NICE Situator as essential to our core mission of security the Houston Ship Channel,” says Lt. Godfrey Eta of the Sheriff’s Office. “It has helped us achieve greater situational awareness, improve collaboration and information sharing across response teams, and automate various processes. It’s a paradigm change in the way we manage safety and security at the Ship Channel.”
Sochi Airport Installs 3D Face Recognition System from California Firm
The Artec Group says that its Broadway 3D face recognition system has been installed at the Sochi airport in Russia for airport workers access control. Sochi will host the Winter Olympics in 2014. The California-based company says its system eliminates access of an unregistered person or unauthorized employee and has a throughput of 60 people per minute. The company says registration takes two seconds. The face recognition technology is part of an integrated security system being developed and implemented by Elektronika, LLC.