Land Border Between Spain and Gibraltar Reinforced Security Through the Adoption of Automated Border Control, a Solution Which Was Provided by Vision-Box.
(PRWEB) October 26, 2015 -- Laying on the border between Spain and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, La Línea de la Concepción is a strategic Entry and Exit point of the Schengen area. With several thousands of people and a considerable amount of goods crossing every day, authorities face challenges, such as the intensification of formalities needed for clearance causing a strong congestion and long queues.
To address the challenges of this demanding crossing point, Vision-Box has designed a solution that grants authorities the ability to efficiently and reliably monitor traveler clearance.
This is only possible via two main fully integrated components. The first is automated biometric eGates: whether entering or leaving Spain through La Línea, 13 biometric-based vb i-match® ABC eGates offer an intuitive self-service border clearance in both inbound and outbound terminals, processing citizens from the EEA (European Economic Area), provided they are over 18 years old and hold an Electronic MRTD (Machine Readable Travel Document). At the eGates, citizens authenticate their ePassports and have their identity verified by looking at a camera, which capture a live face image compliant with ICAO standards; the system matches it against the biometric data stored in the travel document. In the case of Spanish citizens, both face and fingerprints are verified and matched against their national ID card. The workflow is very straightforward and user-friendly interfaces guide the traveler through a quick, positive experience. The eGates even adjust to each traveler’s height and adapt light while capturing their face images, for a high quality result, compliant with the highest international standards.
The second component of this innovative system is the robust software platform which offers the Spanish National Police the possibility to control, in real-time, all that is happening at the eGates through the use of monitoring stations. These allow for the National Police to overrule the whole security infrastructure, detecting false identification documents, any disparity of information between the traveler and the verified data or other irregularities. In those cases, alerts are immediately triggered, facilitating an instant reaction by the agents (for instance, in case of a forced entry or two people trying to go through), until the traveler, document or situation is further inspected and solved.
A boost in efficiency and optimization of resources is expected, since, instead of performing manual verifications in an intense way prone to errors, National Police officers are focusing on more relevant duties, such as profiling and monitoring high-risk travelers, bringing added-value to national security.
Furthermore, the Vision-Box unifying software suite vb i-shield® integrates all the information from the eGates and all critical data with the platforms of international security organizations, ensuring a boost in security and an immediate identification of potential risks. For example, if the document presented by the traveler is presumably forged or there is a hit on a watch list, the National Police is informed, and the guards can promptly redirect the traveler to a complementary verification process.
As highlighted by Jean-François Lennon, Vice-President for Global Business Development & Sales of Vision-Box, “La Línea represents a critical crossing point of Entry/Exit in the Schengen area and deserves the most advanced Automated Border Control solution. Not only to enhance safety and protection, quickly identifying irregular situations, but also to streamline control procedures and turn the mythic La Linea crossing into a secure journey to travelers.”
This project has been implemented by Vision-Box in cooperation with Accenture and the initiative is part of an extended program to enhance security at Spanish Borders through Automated Border Control systems.
Catarina Meleiro, Vision-Box, http://www.vision-box.com, +351 21 1543800, [email protected]
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