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Technology Stocks : Identix (IDNX) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Arthur who wrote (14233)	7/14/1999 11:36:00 PM
From: Arthur	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 26039

O'Hare Airport Project From Wednesday's Chicago Tribune - Front Page above the fold EXCERPTS Airports to boost security Equipment will enhance detection of weapons, cargo tampering A customs agent uses a new electronic fingerprint reader to enter a secure area of O'Hare International Airport. The machine is part of a $25 million security-improvement plan at Chicago's two major airports. (Tribune photo by Jim Prisching) By Jon Hilkevitch Tribune Transportation Writer July 14, 1999 A major program is being undertaken this summer to boost security at Chicago's two major airports by installing an array of sophisticated equipment that will alert authorities if cargo has been tampered with and improve the detection of weapons and other contraband in baggage. The security measures range from the latest metal detectors, which can more accurately screen baggage, to a fingerprint database that will help verify the identity of the more than 50,000 workers who have access to secure areas of the airports. . . . Part of a national pilot project that begins at O'Hare and at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the security upgrades will be phased in at Midway Airport starting next year, officials said. If the O'Hare systems prove effective, similar measures are planned at airports across the country. . . . . A more accurate system of identifying employees and controlling their access around the airport are other benefits of the new technology, said Charles Sander, an executive with ADT Security Services, another contractor at O'Hare. Currently, swiping an ID card across a magnetic reader and then punching in a personal identification number (PIN) allows access to empty airplanes parked at gates, in-flight food containers and other areas that require security clearances. Under the new system, electronic fingerprint-imaging technology will replace the swipe-card readers that now unlock doors. All airport, airline and contractor employees will be required to place a finger on the fingerprint reader, which compares the print to a permanent data base of fingerprints. About 300 employees at O'Hare's international terminal are already using the fingerprint technology, he said. The fingerprint ID process, part of the field of biometrics that uses mathematical formulas to encode human features, eliminates the error inherent in visual identification of employees. In the case of cargo, it ensures that the shipment is being delivered to the airport by the authorized personnel. The truck driver's fingerprint, along with other identifying information and the numbered seal attached to the cargo, is stored in the microchip of an ID card issued to the delivery driver. It is also embedded in a separate card that accompanies and identifies the cargo. If all the information does not line up, or if the numbered seal on the cargo container is broken, airport authorities can refuse the shipment and call police chicagotribune.com The photo at the website is not in my copy of the paper. However a side bar with diagrams which discusses the fingerprinting process is included in the paper. IDX is given credit (with others) for supplying info for the sidebar.