Deploying Solutions to Identify People & Their Behaviours

FACE RECOGNITION

How does it work?

Facial recognition analyses characteristics of a person's face image input through a camera. It measures overall facial structure, distances between eyes, nose, mouth, and jaw edges. These measurements are retained in a database and used as a comparison when a user stands before the camera.

One of the strongest positive aspects of facial recognition is that it is non-intrusive. Verification or identification can be accomplished from two feet away or more, without requiring the user to wait for long periods of time or do anything more than look at the camera. Our facial recognition technology is based on neural computing principles, which combine the advantages of neural and elastic networks. HRS smart surveillance platforms are able to extract faces from a moving or a static environment and run verification checks against those on watch lists and central databases.

Current Applications

Face recognition is currently used in verification only systems with a good deal of success. The system locates the user's face and performs matches against the claimed identity or the facial database. To prevent a face mould from faking out the system, many systems now require the user to smile, blink, or move in a way that is human before verifying. Some of the existing applications include:

• Document control (passports, drivers' licenses)
• Transactional authentication (credit cards, ATMs, point-of-sale)
• Physical access control (smart doors)
• Voter registration (election accuracy)
• Time and attendance (entry and exit verification)

Advantages of using face recognition

• Facial photographs do not disclose information that the person does not routinely disclose to the general public.
• The photograph (facial image) is already socially and culturally accepted internationally.
• It is already collected and verified routinely as part of the MRTD application form process in order to produce a passport to ICAO Document 9303 standards.
• The public are already aware of its capture and use for identity verification purposes.
• It is non-intrusive – the user does not have to touch or interact with a physical device for a substantial timeframe to be enrolled.
• Many States have a legacy database of facial images captured as part of the digitised production of passport photographs which can be be encoded into facial templates and verified against for identity comparison purposes.
• It can be captured from an endorsed photograph, not requiring the person to be physically present.
• It allows capture of children’s biometrics without the children having to be present.
• For watch lists, face (photograph) is generally the only biometric available for comparison.
• Human verification of the biometric against the photograph/person is relatively simple and a familiar process for border control authorities.