ICMEC & Biometrica Announce Collaboration To Help Find Missing Children, Using Biometrics And Real-Time Big Data To Help Track Abductors
PHOENIX (PRWEB) March 12, 2019 -- On Tuesday, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), and Biometrica Systems, Inc., a Phoenix and Las Vegas-based technology company that tracks crime and criminals, announced a collaborative effort focused on using technology to trace potential child abductors and traffickers in real-time, in order to find children that are missing.
The technology incorporates eMotive, Biometrica’s next generation 24x7 continuous criminal background checking software, into the GMCNgine™, ICMEC’s recently launched global platform to help find missing and abducted children.
“How society responds to the tragedy of missing children is a global issue which demands a coordinated response from the global community,” said Caroline Humer, Director of ICMEC’s Global Missing Children's Network (GMCN). “Through our work with Biometrica, we have the opportunity to strengthen our community to protect vulnerable children around the world. Members of our network will be able to access information to help generate leads to recover missing children. We are grateful for this opportunity.”
The GMCN currently has 29 member countries. U.S. law enforcement agencies can access potential abductor profiles and the GMCNgine via NCMEC, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, ICMEC’s sister agency based in Alexandria, Virginia. They can, however, upload or send arrest or conviction data directly into Biometrica’s criminal database.
Time, Tech & Real-Time Tracking
Biometrica CEO Wyly Wade explained how the technology would work. “eMotive will allow a GMCN member to upload profiles of adults believed to have been last seen with a missing child into an encrypted silo that sits beneath Biometrica’s 100% law enforcement-sourced multi-jurisdictional criminal database. Algorithms will then run 24x7 facial recognition and text checks of that data set against the data in the criminal database.”
“When a possible match is found,” he added, “indicating that someone in the GMCNgine’s data set has been arrested somewhere, the GMCN member would get an immediate alert. They could then get in touch with that particular law enforcement jurisdiction and explain the possible connection to the missing child. The focus here is on helping find missing children by tracking their abductors and cutting down on investigative time.”
Michael N. Cachine Sr., Chief Technology Officer at ICMEC said, “The GMCNgine was built using state-of-the-art cloud computing, AI and machine learning technologies to automate the process of searching for missing children across 5 continents.”
“It’s an artificial intelligence search engine with global reach,” he added.
The Data Matters, Communities Matter
“Our goal from the start was to build technology that would emulate the never give up determination of a parent searching for their missing child,” Cachine stated. “The GMCNgine uses facial recognition to index thousands of active case images from 29 law enforcement and missing child agencies that use the platform today. We then combine imagery and tools sourced from big data companies like Biometrica to find matches and produce clues for case managers to help determine a child’s whereabouts.”
ICMEC was formed in 1999 to lead and coordinate a global effort to eradicate child abduction, sexual abuse and exploitation. The GMCNgine, which opened operations to members on Jan. 29, 2019, is a secure platform that allows law enforcement agencies and vetted child-focused NGOs in 29 countries to create dedicated missing children profiles and posters in a local language. “The aim,” said Humer, “is to take this to all 196 countries someday.”
Biometrica, through eMotive, is one of 4 organizations that form the foundational technological infrastructure for the GMCNgine. The others are FIA, Amazon Web Services, and Web-IQ. The Federation for Internet Alerts or FIA manages the distribution of missing child posters (created by GMCN members) online to geo-targeted locations by replacing ad space on websites. Once a missing child’s information is entered into the platform, AWS’s Rekognition starts running the child’s photo against scraped data from Web-IQ to connect photos they, in turn, have scraped, for leads. This will help identify missing children who may have been trafficked.
“With the GMCNgine we are providing a unique multiagency technology platform that is giving hope to families worldwide by breaking down traditional barriers to help find missing kids and that's a pretty cool thing to be a part of.” said ICMEC’s Cachine.
“I agree,” said Wade. “While we, as a company, are focused on security and public safety in any case, there cannot be a better use of our technology, or any technology, than finding missing children and bringing those that do them harm to justice.”
About the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC)
ICMEC has dedicated 20 years to creating innovative programs that address each angle of Child Protection and continue to address the UN SDG Target 16.2: Aiming to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. The organization employs smart collaboration and innovative technology to effect change in making the world safer for children. Learn more and get involved with the GMCNgine at icmec.org.
About Biometrica
Biometrica Systems, Inc. (http://www.biometrica.com) is an Arizona and Nevada-based technology company that creates software and systems with the intention of minimizing criminality. They have the country’s largest private multi-jurisdictional, 100% law enforcement verified database of arrests attached to near real-time Facial Recognition. They work with and support the work of federal, state and local law enforcement, criminal justice professionals (including nonprofits working in education, research and training), intelligence agencies, PIs, process servers, and private sector security and surveillance teams. They are committed to doing their part in building better quality arrest and conviction data and more transparent access to that data. Biometrica is FCRA compliant and a member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS).
Private Investigator License # 1295 [Nevada PILB]
For more information: [email protected]
Alena Mena, Biometrica Systems, Inc., https://biometrica.com/, 480-287-4249, [email protected]
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