Indra to lead abc4eu, the european project that will enhance automated border control systems

Indra is spearheading ABC4EU (Automated Border Control Gates for Europe), the European R&D project that will enhance the automated border control systems that passengers will find at airports.

The project aims to update and integrate current Automated Border Control Gates systems and extend their use to second generation passports and third country nationals from outside the European Union. The budget of the ABC4EU project is 16.8 million euros.

During the last years, many Automated Border Control Gates have been deployed in the main European airports, most of them as pilot projects intended to test their capability to improve the border crossing processes in aspects such as speed, security, automation and false rejection reduction.

Automated border control systems validate the passenger's identity card or passport by checking its authenticity and verifying that it belongs to the holder. The procedure involves checking a variety of biometric parameters, such as the person's fingerprints and facial features.

So far, these kind of systems could only be used by European Unión citizens. In order to extend its use to no EU nationals, this consortium will assess the feasibility to integrate them with a future register that regular-travellers would be able to join for automated border pass. The consortium will also enhance the management of last generation passports, which incorporate high security features and biometric information from the traveller.

Furthermore, the need for a harmonized approach has been specifically addressed as one of the most urgent issues to be solved. The ABC4EU project aims to address it by ensuring that passengers always have the same experience, irrespective of the company that has developed the system. Harmonized systems will also be easier to implement because border control authorities will not need to worry about any interconnection or compatibility problems arising in the future between the systems of different suppliers.

Accordingly, ABC4EU will identify the requirements for a flexible, integrated and interoperable ABC system at EU level. In particular, harmonization would be required in areas such as e-passports management, biometrics, gate design, human interface, processes, signaling and interoperability. Studying ABC systems and other significant technology aiding border security processes will help the increasing passenger flows, whilst maintaining security.

ABC4EU is a Consortium cooperation between 15 partners from Spain, Ireland, Finland, Portugal, Germany, Romania and Estonia. The consortium, led by technological and consulting Indra, is formed by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Vision-Box, Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Eticas Research & Consulting, CIES, Dermalog, Cognitec, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Università Degli Studi Di Milano, Safe ID, Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, Serviço de Estrangeiros E Fronteiras, Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, and the General Directorate on Communication and Information Technology (Romanian Ministry of Administration and Interior).

Indra, chaired by Javier Monzón, is Spain's number 1 consulting and technology multinational and one of the main multinationals in Europe and Latin America. Innovation and sustainability are the cornerstone of its business, having assigned over €570 million to R&D&I in the last three years, a figure that places it among the top European companies in its sector in terms of investment. With approximate sales of €3,000 M, 61% of its sales revenue is from the international market. It has 42,000 employees and customers in over 138 countries.

More info: http://abc4eu.com/