IDEMIA National Security Solutions (NSS), a subsidiary of IDEMIA, provided a demonstration of its biometric access control technology, ID2Access, to key US Army and US Department of Defense stakeholders on 15 November at Redstone Arsenal.

The system is being deployed at Redstone Arsenal, a 38,400-acre site Huntsville, Alabama that serves as the primary training and testing center for the US Army’s missile and rocket programs.

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) selected IDEMIA to deliver next-generation access control, increase force protection, promote security and improve the quality of life for Redstone Arsenal personnel, visitors and Huntsville residents.

Biometric access control

According to the company, the pilot project is demonstrating application of biometric technologies across the full process of accessing an installation, starting with testing remote enrollment capabilities, which allow visitors to validate their identities before arriving at the installation, potentially bypassing the Visitor Control Center.

Then there is the testing of the expansion of the facial recognition gate access for vehicles with multiple occupants, beyond just identifying the driver, as well as leveraging the same enrollment to provide facility access using facial recognition and contactless fingerprint capabilities.

IDEMIA NSS’s ID2Access solution leverages IDEMIA’s digital and biometric identification technologies, which have a history of use in systems throughout the US, including operational deployments throughout the Department of Defense, Federal Government, numerous state and local agencies.

“Depending on the time of day, visitors can spend an hour or hour and half getting processed at the Visitor Center,” shared Lafe Hutcheson, Senior Program Director, NSS.

“Our remote enrollment technology can enable identities to be validated remotely and greatly reduce those lines.

“We are also demonstrating the capability of validating not only the driver of the vehicle, but everyone in the vehicle as they enter an access control point for the installation.”

“The deployment of ID2Access demonstrates that our approach to access control and identity authentication provides the protection, efficiency and installation situational awareness, where it is needed most,” said Patrick Clancey, CEO, IDEMIA NSS.

“IDEMIA NSS is eager to show the value that ID2Access brings and work with our partners to deliver a best-in-class identify verification and access system for securing entry, exit and movement within the garrison that can reduce the hassle of traffic and delays at Redstone Arsenal.”