"Airport To Tag Passengers With RFID"

Saturday, October 14, 2006

How tagging passengers could improve airport security 
By Alok Jha
United Kingdom - The Guardian 


Air travellers could soon be electronically tagged inside airports in a bid to 
improve security. The technology would use wrist bands or boarding passes 
embedded with computer chips and allow authorities to track passenger movement 
around terminal buildings.

Paul Brennan, an electronic engineer at University College London who is 
leading work on the EU-funded Optag system, said it would combine high 
resolution panoramic video imaging with radio frequency identification (RFID) 
tags to enhance airport security, safety and efficiency. "It would work if each 
passenger were issued with a tag, which could allow location to about one metre 
accuracy," he said. "The video and tag data can be merged to give a very 
powerful surveillance capability."

RFID tags work by emitting a short radio message when interrogated by an 
electronic tag reader. Dr Brennan said that Optag RFID chips would not store 
any personal details.

"They emit a unique ID which is then cross-referenced to the passenger 
information already on the system - maybe the name and flight number of the 
passenger. Perhaps in the future that would be extended to things like 
biometric data." The tags would be linked to a network of CCTV cameras, which 
could be used to monitor movement of people around terminal buildings.

Dr Brennan said: "It can allow precise tracking of certain individuals if they 
seem to be a security risk of any sort. It can help to evacuate the airport. It 
can provide rapid location of lost children."

Optag could also ensure that passengers get to a gate on time to board 
aircraft. Dr Brennan said that flight delays due to late-running passengers 
cost airlines €100m a year in Europe. A trial of the system will be carried 
out at Debrecen airport in Hungary later this year, and, if it is successful, 
Optag could be developed for commercial use within a few years.

Dr Brennan revealed details of his project yesterday at the launch of UCL's 
Centre for Security and Crime, a new institute aimed at bringing together 
different scientists to tackle crime and terrorism.

At the launch Robert Speller, a medical physicist at UCL, also part of the new 
institute, gave details of how he has used his research to develop an X-ray 
scanning technology that can identify different types of explosives or drugs in 
baggage. He said it was only a matter of time before terrorists used a dirty 
bomb.

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