News

Cruise ship biometric photo-finding kiosk project expands

October 12, 2004

SAN DIEGO - ImageWare Systems and Carnival Cruise Lines will launch a pilot expansion of the biometric photo-finding kiosk project currently aboard Carnival's "Fun Ship," Carnival Pride.

As part of the pilot expansion, Carnival will install two additional biometric photo-finding kiosks aboard a Miami-based Carnival "Fun Ship" beginning fall 2004. The pilot consists of a system that is powered by the IWS Biometric Engine, a scalable multi-biometric engine that enables the enrollment and management of unlimited population sizes. ImageWare's multi-biometric engine, along with its facial recognition and digital imaging capabilities, enable guests to search and retrieve all keepsake photos taken of them while vacationing aboard the "Fun Ship."

To access the system, a guest steps up to a stand-alone photo-retrieval kiosk, which will capture an image of his or her face. This image is compared, using facial recognition technology, to all faces within all photos that have been captured on the cruise. Once the search is complete, photos containing the guest, including group and individual shots, will appear on the screen and be available for review and purchase.

"ImageWare solutions are well known in the government sector, yet with our launch of the IWS Biometric Engine, our product offerings have been extended beyond government and into more commercial and consumer-oriented markets," commented Jim Miller, ImageWare's chairman and CEO. "The potential for biometrics in consumer markets such as retail, banking, transportation and entertainment is staggering, and Carnival has demonstrated their technological savvy by being at the forefront of this trend."

The IWS Biometric Engine specifically addresses mission-critical security applications and enables organizations to manage population databases of all sizes and conduct multi-modal, comparative biometric searches. Supporting ID management initiatives, the IWS Biometric Engine can be deployed across a wide array of industries and applications, including national ID, driver license, border control, amusement and events, and other identity management systems.