Viisage and Pelco team to provide airport security system

NOVEMBER 2--Viisage Technology Inc. (Littleton, MA; www.viisage.com) has teamed with Pelco (Clovis, CA; www.pelco.com) to implement the first use of face-recognition technology at a US airport. The system, jointly developed by Viisage and Pelco, is a result of work on a project code named "Twenty-four/Seven," which required around-the-clock effort applied by both teams.

The system, which became successfully operational at Fresno Yosemite International Airport on Friday, October 26, combines Pelco's video-surveillance expertise with Viisage's face-recognition technology and is designed to alert public-safety officers whenever an individual matching the appearance of a known terrorist suspect enters the airport's security checkpoint. Anyone recognized by the system would undergo further investigative processes by public-safety officers.

David McDonald, Pelco president, said, "The FBI and other law-enforcement agencies have provided us with photos of terrorist suspects, which we've digitized and enhanced. The accuracy of this facial-recognition system means that there's another set of highly trained eyes on the lookout all the time."

Viisage's FaceFINDER face-recognition technology has been customized and integrated into Pelco's PelcoMATCH system, which includes proprietary high-performance cameras, powerful high-speed computers, and attractive camera pedestals. This system can be used in nearly any high-security application, such as ports of entry, office buildings, and sporting and entertainment facilities.