The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published the results of the Biometric Technology Rally 2022. The competition challenges the industry to develop faster, more accurate and easier-to-use biometric recognition systems to improve security and convenience, especially at ports and airports. The last edition tested facial recognition systems.
Griaule's software took first place in the Rally. Griaule's Matching System - known as Kenai in this challenge - stood out in the identification and privacy categories, achieving an accuracy rate of 99.8% in the Matching Focused True Identification Rate (Matching-TIR) for groups of 2 people, the best rate among the suppliers.
According to the US International Trade Administration, more than a third of travelers visiting the United States in 2020 traveled in groups of two or more. Therefore, Rally's focus was on improving features that can quickly and accurately recognize small groups of travelers while avoiding image capture of other spectators in a crowded environment.
"The goal of Rally 2022 was to raise the bar and further challenge industry to develop technologies that overcome operational constraints while considering privacy issues and individual freedoms," said Arun Vemury, leader of the Center for Biometric and Identity Technologies at the DHS Office of Science and Technology. "Biometric technologies continue to evolve in terms of accuracy, speed and ease of use, so it is important to ensure that these features also include privacy safeguards, such as the option to disable biometric screening," he said.
Brazilian surpasses industry target
The DHS doesn't pick winners for the Rally, but it does set a target for the industry. Brazil's Griaule, based in Campinas, not only exceeded the target set, but achieved the best result among suppliers by reaching a Matching-TIR score of 99.8%. "We believe that privacy and proper use are critical components of facial recognition technology. We proved this at the Biometric Technology Rally 2022, demonstrating our commitment to developing technology that respects civil rights," said João Weber, CEO of Griaule.
The company's technology, which uses artificial intelligence techniques such as Deep Learning, is already used by the Brazilian Army and by Public Security Departments in states such as Santa Catarina, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul. Outside Brazil, Griaule also signed a USD 75 million contract with the Pentagon to supply large-scale identification technology to support the institution's critical missions in 2018, and exports to around 70 countries.
Held at S&T's Maryland Test Facility in Upper Marlboro, Md., the 2022 Rally included 11 days of testing with 40 facial recognition setups and 575 volunteers representing 54 countries.
For more information on the results of the Rally and the performance of the Brazilian Griaule (code name Kenai in the study), just visit the Rally website at https://mdtf.org/Rally2022.
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