Canadian Airports Start High-tech Access Control
07 April, 2004
category: Biometrics, Corporate, Government, RFID
A major technology deployment at Canadian Airports is to offer physical access control and biometric authentication for personnel entering restricted areas, according to HID Corporation, which is to supply the system’s contactless access control cards and readers.
HID’s combination Prox and iCLASS 13.56 MHz contactless smart cards will be deployed at major airports in Canada as part of the overall security programme for the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) and its Restricted Area Identification Card (RAIC) programme.
CATSA is responsible for programme delivery, including administration, training of personnel, and the procurement and deployment of required equipment. The RAIC programme encompasses the issuance and administration of a restricted area identification card system.
The role of CATSA in the deployment of the RAIC is to enable airport authorities to enhance the security of the restricted areas of an airport. The deployment of HID’s 200,000 multi-technology contactless smart cards began in March.
HID’s cards met CATSA’s stringent requirements including specific ISO compliance, the ability to accommodate multiple biometric templates in card memory, and encryption technology. The smart card supports existing 125 kHz proximity card readers that are already in use, has contact chip upgradeability, and has read/write capabilities along with an encodable magnetic stripe.
For added security, HID’s CATSA cards will be manufactured with a number of anti-counterfeiting security features. HID will also utilise a secure delivery logistics programme, ensuring that cards remain in a secure, locked-up and bonded environment.
“We are proud to have earned this strategic business relationship with CATSA,” said Denis Hebert, president of HID. “This reinforces HID’s interoperability vision which is of particular importance for government ID card deployment worldwide.”
Established as a federal Crown Corporation on April 1st, 2002, CATSA operates on a not-for-profit basis, remaining accountable to the Canadian Minister of Transport for the delivery of consistent, effective, and highly professional service at or above the standards set by federal regulations.
CATSA’s original mandate included:
- The certification of screening officers and accreditation of screening contractors;
- Pre-boarding screening of passengers and their belongings at 89 airports across the country;
- Acquisition, deployment and maintenance of explosive detection equipment and conventional pre-board screening equipment at airports;
- Federal contributions toward airport policing related to civil aviation security measures;
- Contracting with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for armed police officers on board aircraft.
More Info: http://www.hidcorp.com
Source: HID Corp.
Reprinted with permission from Using RFID (http://www.usingrfid.com/news)
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