Good Practices

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Biometric
Technology 02

Border Security

Automated Border Management & Automated Surveillance of “Green” Land Borders.

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Automated Border Control (ABC) Systems

ABC systems have been introduced worldwide to decrease the workload of border guards and facilitate travel flows. The main elements of ABC systems are travel document authentication, person verification, background checks on passengers and travel documents, and single person transit. Together with 27 partners in the European-funded FastPass project, we have developed not only a harmonized modular reference system for all types of borders, but also an extensive set of technical, social and economic recommendations. Further important results have been achieved in the following research fields:

  • Next-generation sensor development and novel frameworks, software and algorithms: On-the-move biometric identification, improved speed and quality, reduced intrusiveness, counter-spoofing;
  • Innovative scenarios based on harmonized architectures: Several air border scenarios, cruise ship scenario, land border scenario with travellers remaining in their cars;
  • Methodology for a holistic risk and security assessment: List of threats, with type, impact, exploitability, and mitigation strategy.

The prototype system was tested by more than 10,.000 travellers and around 200 border guards at three different border control points – the Port of Piraeus in Greece, the Vienna Airport of Vienna in Austria and the land border crossing point of Moravita in Romania (RO).

Fastpass Prototyper Digital Border Control

A real-world installation of the FastPass border control system was initiated in the Région Hauts-de-France in response to Brexit: In cooperation with industry partners, AIT demonstrated and evaluated enhanced border flows using an automated border control system for passenger cars and trucks entering ferries, and a showcase for buses. The Hauts-de-France region is the third most populous region in France (6 million inhabitants). Annual border traffic amounts to 94.6 million tonnes of goods and 12 million passengers. The showcase included passport reading and biometric checks using standard smartphones.

Test and demonstration of a car / truck gate in Dunkirk

Advantages and benefits
of AIT´s solution

  • Fast-tracked border clearance
  • Increased throughput
  • Cost-savings resulting from automated operations

Automated surveillance of “green” land borders

The European migrant crisis of 2015 demonstrated that existing systems do not allow border guards to manage the borders effectively. Improved border surveillance methods are needed to ensure effective and efficient border management. AIT and its partners have launched the EU H2020 project FOLDOUT which focuses on through-foliage detection, for use in the inner and outermost regions of the EU. Foliage penetration is an unsolved yet important aspect of border surveillance. By solving the problem of unreliable detection in difficult environments, the workload of border guards is reduced, costs are lowered, and, last but not least, lives can be saved. AIT is building a portable, automated system that combines various sensors and technologies to form an effective and robust, intelligent detection platform which increases the effectiveness of detection. The system can be easily deployed by border guards.

Foldout for Digital Border Control

FOLDOUT makes the tasks of border guards easier by combining events from a variety of sensors to provide situational awareness and threat assessment, together with suggested response scenarios, all on a mobile user interface.

AIT’s core innovative element in the project is the SMARTSENSE smart camera platform, supporting daylight and night vision sensors with embedded artificial intelligence for event detection.

SMARTSENSE Camera for Digital Border Control

Advantages and benefits
of AIT´s solution

  • Smart multi-sensor platform and data fusion enable embedded event detection in sensitive areas with harsh environments
  • Portable and autonomous units can be easily deployed as needed and are self-locating
  • Self-sustaining platform with on-board communication
  • Mobile sensor units in robust housing for harsh environment & weather conditions, allowing one week of autonomous operation