News

Biometric airport security kiosk wins award

March 26, 2002

HERNDON, Va. - The Armed Forces Computer and Electronics Association (AFCEA) presented a Golden Link Award to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport Authority, for an automated kiosk inspection system EDS (NYSE: EDS) developed to expedite passengers through passport control.

The Airport Authority won the award for excellence and innovation in the application of technology in government operations for its Express Entry kiosk project. The project addressed airport officials' concerns about potential security problems posed by long lines and bottlenecks, and provided tight security for an ever-increasing number of visitors.

The Express Entry system allows Israeli citizens to participate in an automated inspection, rather than waiting in traditional passport control lines. The automated kiosks identify travelers by using their biological data, called biometrics. The kiosks match hand geometry of registered travelers to identification information taken from the traveler's credit card.

When the traveler's identity is confirmed, he or she is allowed entry, receiving a border crossing permit in place of the customary passport stamp. Every transaction is verified and approved via an interface link to the National Immigration System. Travelers whose identities are not verified are referred to an inspector who is briefed of the details through a system-initiated alert message.

The Airport Authority, the Israeli Police and passengers have all expressed satisfaction with the kiosks.

The technology allows Ben Gurion International Airport and border security authorities to focus their limited resources on unknown travelers, improving security. Travelers also benefit from increased efficiency. Waits of up to 60 minutes in passport control lines have been drastically reduced. The automated inspection process takes less than 15 seconds.

Though the project initially targeted only frequent travelers, it was recently expanded to include all Israeli citizens. As a result, the number of kiosks was increased from four to 21, and the system now processes nearly 50,000 passengers per month. More than 85,000 individuals are enrolled in the program, and more than one million inspections have been completed via the Express Entry system at Ben Gurion International Airport.

Working together, EDS teams in Israel and the U.S., along with the Ben Gurion International Airport Authority and Israel Police installed the first phase of the project within three months.

Travelers who have dual U.S./Israeli citizenship can take advantage of both the Ben Gurion International Airport program and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) Passenger Accelerated Service System (INSPASS), also developed by EDS. With automated biometric checks in both countries, the traveler needs only an INSPASS card to pass through the INSPASS kiosk upon entry through U.S. immigration and an Israeli credit card to enter through the airport's system.

The Express Entry software was developed with the programming language Microsoft Visual C++. The system can be updated to add future biometric or other identification technologies.