Customs' facial check system earns top marks

The results of an independent evaluation of Australia's own automated border control system, SmartGate, show it is delivering world-leading performance in terms of facial recognition.

Conducted by principal research scientist at the UK National Physical Laboratory Tony Mansfield and the San Jose State University National Biometric Test Centre director Jim Wayman, the $1.5 million project, which started in 2001, has been dubbed "remarkable".

Wayman said the system’s performance is “remarkably good for an operational facial recognition system”.

“We know of no other face-recognition system with documented performance at this level elsewhere in the world,” Wayman said.

“Anyone would have to conclude that this is a very successful project, looking at the data.”

Australian Customs started trialling the system at Sydney International Airport in November 2002.

The evaluation looked at three reports on the system carried out by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation, ActSafe Australia and ACNielsen, as well as conducting independent observations and reviews of SmartGate data logs, internal memos, press coverage and other project reports.

When asked what the limitations of the SmartGate system are, Wayman was adamant that the people using the system itself will prove to be a problem.

“Frequent flyers are going to be harder to work with, as they are not going to be as cooperative as the aircrew that we have carried out the trials with, as well as the fact that we still don’t know enough about human behaviour in the presence of technology,” Wayman said.

Customs border intelligence and passengers national director Gail Batman, believes that the findings will help in the international understanding and application of biometric technology in a border environment.

“Further expansion of SmartGate is subject to government decision, and today’s findings will assist with that decision making process,” Batman said.

“We’re going to take it nice and easy, so that we can trial more aircrew on the system, and eventually, attempt the broader travelling population across all eight international airports.”

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