Aviation group explores ID verification standards

Officials at the International Civil Aviation Organization's New Technologies Working Group seek industry help in developing standards for identity verification, document authentication and machine-readable travel documents.

ICAO officials issued a request for information from vendors to keep up with new technology. According to the document, organization officials seek guidance every three years on technologies that make it easier to move passengers through airports, seaports and other transportation facilities.

Written responses to the RFI are due by Nov. 20. Firms may be invited to make oral presentations to members of the New Technologies Working Group and representatives of ICAO member states in Geneva in May 2005.

The biometric technologies must be facial, finger or iris biometric technologies.

ICAO members have a variety of requirements for travel document applications, including personal interviews, mail-in applications and Internet-based forms. The technologies must cater to all three forms of authentication, the RFI states.

Some countries may use biometric systems that operate as self-service facilities at their ports of entry. Biometric systems must rapidly and accurately collect biometric data from a travel document and verify it, capture information from the data page of a travel document and encode it for automated verification with the holder.

The technologies must be able to match biometric data with an ID, a list of possible matches and a database. The matches must last over time, despite the individual's aging.