BiometricsDHS testing face recognition biometrics
DHS is exploring the capabilities of facial recognition programs, and the technology’s implication for government and first responders. Initial stages of the project will begin by comparing video footage of people moving throughout the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Washington with combined mock profiles of volunteers.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is exploring the capabilities of facial recognition programs, and the technology’s implication for government and first responders. Initial stages of the project will begin by comparing video footage of people moving throughout the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Washington with combined mock profiles of volunteers.
GovTech reports that various commercial off-the-shelf facial recognition products will be subjected to accuracy tests using the video footage and mock profiles. The footage being collected consists of video from home games of the Western Hockey League’s Tri-City Americans. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is handling video collection. The available algorithms will be tested on the number of times a person in a video footage is successfully noticed by the facial recognition system. Results from the facial recognition tests will then be made available to the government.
“What we’d like to see is how well the current facial recognition systems perform,” said Patricia Wolfhope, program manager in DHS’ Science & Technology Directorate (S&T). “The only way to do that is to compare the data we are going to get from this data collection with the facial recognition algorithms.”
The project is about understanding the current state of facial recognition technology. S&T is the primary research and development arm of DHS. The directorate manages science and technology research, from development through transition, for DHS’ operational components and first responders. The directorate works with universities, laboratories, all levels of government, and the private sector to develop solutions.
“What we are doing right now is creating the video data that will be used to test everything and until we have that standardized and ready to go, I don’t think we’re going to call for manufacturers to start sending us their algorithms until we know how we are going to test,” John Verrico, chief of media relations at the directorate, told GovTech.
