Morpho (Safran) announced today that it has signed a new 5-year agreement with NZ Customs Services (NZCS) through to 2020.
This will see NZCS rollout an initial nine next generation Morpho e-Gates in 2015 at Auckland international airport, with the option to supply new and replacement gates over the next five years across major New Zealand airports.
The agreement also covers a Biometric Research Partnership that will see NZCS and Morpho collaborate to advance global research in Facial Recognition. The goal 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.
Carolyn Tremain, Comptroller of New Zealand Customs Service
“SmartGate has been very well received in New Zealand, with over 13 million travellers having successfully used the technology since its introduction in 2009. 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.”
Tim Ferris, Managing Director of Morpho’s local subsidiary, Morpho Australasia:
“The new generation SmartGate is a clear reflection of our collaborative approach with NZCS to pave the way for the future of border control solutions in the region. This new technology has the capability to further simplify and speed up border processing whilst offering the highest level of security for our borders.”
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.
N.B. Image credit: safetravel.govt.nz
