The agreement also covers a Biometric Research Partnership that will see NZCS and Morpho collaborate to advance global research in Facial Recognition. The objective of this collaboration is to improve the accuracy of the recognition algorithms embedded on the eGates, and contribute to an even higher level of security at the border while further reducing the false rejections of legitimate travellers.
“SmartGate has been very well received in New Zealand, with over 13 million travellers having successfully used the technology since its introduction in 2009”, says Carolyn Tremain, Comptroller of New Zealand Customs Service. “We are expanding the capability to ensure we continue to stay at the forefront of passenger processing efficiency and border security, and enhance the passenger experience.”
Since 2009, New Zealand’s Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch airports have been using SmartGate to give eligible travellers the option of self-processing through passport control. The system uses facial recognition technology to compare facial images of the traveller against the data contained in the e-Passport’s chip. The project has been a great success with the travelling public and was awarded Project of the Year by the NZ Government in 2010.
The new generation SmartGate brings additional convenience as it speeds up traveller processing with a one-step process, eliminating the kiosk and ticket part of the current system. It uses e-Gates that have a smaller footprint to meet the space constraints of airports whilst also having Morpho’s latest workflow and biometric matching software. In addition to this, is the solution’s ability to add other biometric capabilities such as fingerprint or iris recognition at a future stage.