"Hand Geometry Readers Well Suited For Employee Access Control"

Wednesday, May 22, 2002

Hand Geometry Readers Well Suited For Employee Access Control
Airport Security Report


Over the past decade, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has
focused on improving access control to secured areas. This has meant
reducing the instances where employees have lost their badges and PIN
numbers or had them stolen, as well as other possible breaches of
security. This tightened security has been vital in making SFO one of
the West Coat's major aviation gateways. 

In 1991, SFO spent around $3 million to introduce hundreds of card/hand
readers produced by Recognition Systems that use hand geometry
biometrics to control access to secured area. 

Combining Security Identification Display Area (SIDA) badges and hand
geometry has led to increased security and decreased vulnerability at
the airport, said Mark Denari, aviation security director at SFO. "I
would say any airport would do itself well to look at biometrics
technology," Denari said. 

With around 30,000 active users, including 18,000 who use the system
daily, it's vital that SFO's access control operation runs smoothly. SFO
has about 600 readers around the airport that connect to electromagnetic
door locks at 200 portals to secured areas Some portals include
turnstiles that help prevent "piggybacking," i.e., when one worker holds
the door open for others to enter without verifying their
identification. 

The problem with the technology is that it depends on an access card
that could get lost or stolen. 

Since its inception, the SFO system has processed more than 100 million
entries and exits. All airport workers seeking access to the secured
area must go through an application process. In addition, airport
contractors must also register. 

Gaining access to secured areas using Recognition Systems' HandKey
reader is a two-step process. The card reader identifies authorized
access cards while the hand geometry reader authorizes individuals for
access. The process takes less than 15 seconds and has 99.99 percent
reliability, an industry-low error rate critical to airport operations,
Denari said.


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