PALO ALTO, Calif. - HP's blade server and PC technology is powering an iris recognition security and visitor management system launched Monday by the Freehold Borough School District in Freehold, N.J.
Designed to improve overall school and student safety while reducing the administrative burden associated with the student sign in/sign out process, the Teacher-Parent Authorization Security System (T-PASS(TM)) uses highly accurate iris recognition technology to establish positive identification of school employees, parents, guardians and visitors.
HP collaborated with Eyemetric Identity Systems, LG Electronics USA and Newton Security, Inc., to deliver the technology to the school district. The system is part of a study funded by a school safety grant valued at more than $369,000 from the National Institute of Justice, a research branch of the U.S. Department of Justice. Participation in the study is voluntary.
"HP is proud to showcase how its innovative, reliable technology can help improve the safety of our nation's schools and our children," said Michael Humke, director of worldwide education, Technology Solutions Group, HP. "If this study is successful, schools around the world can adopt this iris recognition security system to improve school safety while modernizing traditional school administrative processes."
The system's iris recognition technology provides an accurate method for personal identification that, unlike fingerprint identification, is quick and non-invasive. The Freehold deployment uses a special camera to take close-up images of an individual's irises, the colored part of the eyes. The images are converted to a digital template and then stored electronically in a computer database along with contact information, specific access permissions and a photograph of individuals associated with particular students.
If the iris images in the database match those offered by an individual seeking entry into the school, the school door automatically unlocks. Typically, access is granted or denied in less than two seconds.
"By participating in this study and deploying iris recognition technology, Freehold Borough School District is at the forefront of school security," said Phil Meara, superintendent, Freehold Borough School District. "The school district realizes enhanced security and greater efficiencies by applying technology to transform main office tasks like student sign in/sign out and visitor management."
The nation's first school district study of iris recognition technology occurred at Plumsted Township School District in New Egypt, N.J., in 2003. Freehold Borough School District is benefiting from enhancements and improved functionality as a result of lessons learned at Plumsted, including:
-- A visitor management application that produces visitor badges containing photos of the visitor and the child or school employee whom the visitor is signing in or out of school or visiting;
-- A tailgating detection system that monitors the frequency of when an individual holds the school door open for another individual;
-- A time-saving application that scans driver's license information and retrieves information for records, eliminating the need to type such information into the database.
The study has thus far received a positive response. Nearly 290 individuals have enrolled to participate in the study, enhancing security and expediting access and sign in/sign out processes at the Freehold Learning Center, Park Avenue Elementary School and Freehold Intermediate School, as well as the district administrative offices. Individuals who choose not to participate in the study ring a doorbell and wait to be admitted to provide identification and sign the visitor registry.
The iris recognition system was developed and deployed with the assistance of Eyemetric Identity Systems, which designed the T-PASS application using IrisAccess cameras and software from LG Electronics and the T-DAR(R) anti-tailgating system from Newton Security.
The school's security and visitor management system components include:
-- HP - industry-standard HP ProLiant DL140 server, HP dx5150 Small Form Factor Desktop PC with AMD processor, and Access Point for wireless networking from ProCurve Networking by HP.
-- LG Electronics, Iris Technology Division - LG IrisAccess 3000, iris camera and software. LG's IrisAccess platform is the leading iris recognition system in the world and is deployed at thousands of locations in public and private sectors on six continents.
-- Newton Security - Tailgate Detection Alarm Recording (T-DAR) system and software. Newton Security is the world's largest supplier of single person detection systems using machine vision.
The Department of Justice will use the study to gauge the multicultural Freehold community's perception of using this technology in a school environment, as well as to evaluate its effectiveness to improve school and student safety.
About HP
HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended Oct. 31, 2005, HP revenue totaled $86.7 billion. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.
