MorphoTrak - Experts & Thought Leaders

ONVIF, the global standardisation initiative for IP-based physical security products, announces that it will speak at the annual conference of the International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC) on May 7-9, at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol in Austin, Texas. The IAPSC’s 2017 conference focuses on how the scope of a security consultant’s role is changing as the physical security industry evolves to address such issues as cyber/IT threats and crowd security. Changing security landscape ONVIF Communication Committee Chair Jonathan Lewit will speak to conference attendees on the changing security landscape and the rise of interoperability on Sunday, May 7, 2017, at 4:00 PM. The presentation will focus on how demand for interoperability is driving the expansion of the physical security market and how security consultants can use standards established by ONVIF and other groups to create best of breed customer solutions that integrate access control, video surveillance and other security and Internet of Things elements as part of a security deployment. “Standards are figuring prominently in the evolution of the physical security market, as end user demand for big data, comprehensive management and intelligent analytics software increases,” said Per Björkdahl, Chair of the ONVIF Steering Committee. “Security consultants are an essential part of the security community and so it is important that we share how ONVIF and other standards can be resources for systems integrators and end users in this ever-evolving market landscape.” Looking into the Future Lewit also will participate in a panel discussion entitled “Looking into the Future: Five, 10 and 15 Years” that considers the requirements, challenges and needs of the end users of the future, both within the security market and beyond. He is joined on the panel by representatives from organisations across the security industry including RS2 Technologies, ASSA ABLOY, HID Global and MorphoTrak. ONVIF is a platinum sponsor of IAPSC’s 2017 annual conference. Founded in 2008, ONVIF is a leading and well-recognised industry forum driving interoperability for IP-based physical security products. The organisation has a global member base of established camera, video management system and access control companies and more than 7,000 Profile conformant products. With Profile S for streaming video; Profile G for recording and storage; Profile C for physical access control; Profile Q for improved out-of-the-box functionality and the Release Candidate Profile A for access control configuration, ONVIF continues to work with its members to expand the number of IP interoperability solutions ONVIF conformant products can provide.

Safran’s biometric system provides search, analysis and matching services for fingerprints and palm prints Safran Identity and Security, a global leader in identity and security solutions, has supplied a facial recognition solution to the National Police of the Netherlands. The nationwide system, which includes workstations for facial search, comparison and analysis was recently launched at the National Forensic Service Centre. Dutch police officers can now submit a facial image for search against their databases and save precious time. This facial recognition system is an extension of the biometric services that have been successfully delivered over many years by Safran Identity & Security in the Netherlands. The original system provides search, analysis and matching services for fingerprints and palm prints. Key capabilities MorphoBIS Face Expert offers advanced investigation functions with forensic image analysis and comparison tools. MorphoBIS Face Detective allows investigators to rapidly search for criminal portrait images and assemble photo line-ups for fast analysis. Both programs accept multiple image file formats for maximum leveraging of available images in searches. Mission-critical capability John Riemen, Manager of the Netherlands National Criminal Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), calls the facial recognition system a new mission-critical capability. He stated, "It's important for the public to understand that the automated search provided by the system is only the first step in finding a match for a face in a database. Possible matches are reviewed by two trained human experts, working independently. Simply stated, our system assesses and evaluates the similarity between the probe and candidate images. Only trained human examiners can provide an expert conclusion." Anne Bouverot, Chair and CEO of Safran Identity and Security, commented, "Safran Identity and Security is honoured to further extend the long term, trusted partnership with the National Police of the Netherlands in delivering advanced biometric tools to maximise its investigation capabilities."

MorphoCloud includes services for fingerprint and palmprint search and verification, as well as face recognition MorphoTrak, a key provider of biometric services to law enforcement and other agencies, will donate access to MorphoCloud, a cloud-based collection of services, to West Virginia University to support the university's highly-regarded research and education programs in biometrics and forensics. Close academic partnership MorphoTrak, a subsidiary of Safran Identity and Security, has collaborated with the WVU biometrics program for several years, supporting a number of researchers' projects; this opportunity builds on that relationship. In announcing the donation B. Scott Swann, vice president of federal operations and innovation, a West Virginia native and WVU graduate said, "MorphoTrak located its West Virginia corporate office in Morgantown for a strategic reason. We want to foster a close academic partnership with WVU. We are very excited about this partnership. The academic and research values should be long lasting and definitely go beyond the monetary value of this donation." Expanding MorphoClouds services The current version of MorphoCloud includes services for fingerprint and palmprint search and verification, as well as face recognition. In the near future, the cloud services available to WVU will be expanded to include iris recognition and video analytics. As part of the donation, MorphoTrak will provide technology training and support to WVU to operate the multi-biometric identification capability of MorphoCloud. "We are pleased to have access to this world-class biometric system that integrates analytics from multiple sources," WVU President Gordon Gee said. "As a leader in biometric technology research and the FBI Biometric Centre of Excellence's lead academic partner, West Virginia University's agreement with MorphoTrak takes us to a new and exciting level of research in this emerging field." "It makes perfect sense to team with WVU and continue growing MorphoTrak's presence in the area" WVU's Biometrics & Identification Innovation Centre The MorphoTrak engineering and development facility, which marks its one-year anniversary in November, is just a short distance from the advanced research occurring at WVU's Biometrics & Identification Innovation Centre, staffed by a multi-disciplinary group of WVU researchers. They work with government and industry to advance biometric technology and its associated applications. Celeste Thomasson, MorphoTrak president and CEO, underscores the decision of this $1.5 million donation to WVU. Growing MorphoTrak's presence "It makes perfect sense to team with WVU and continue growing MorphoTrak's presence in the area," Thomasson said. "Providing WVU and the BIIC with access to our industry-leading identification technologies through MorphoCloud is the first step toward building a sustainable framework for research collaboration and innovation that benefits our key stakeholders such as the FBI and other state and local law enforcement agencies." WVU Vice President for Research Fred King said that "West Virginia University is honoured that MorphoTrak has chosen to partner with us to provide our researchers the opportunity to use and develop sophisticated technologies essential to maintaining our nation's security." Keith Morris, associate professor in the Department of Forensic and Investigative Science, and Matthew Valenti, professor in the Lane Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering, will be the lead researchers on the MorphoCloud project.

Every security system has a storyOur industry’s technology solutions are at work almost everywhere, if you think about it. You might see Kelvin Hughes high-resolution radar pictures providing protection for Maryland’s oyster beds. At the 2014 Oscars, Axis pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras kept watch around the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. At The Marque, an exclusive membership club in Houston, Texas, MorphoTrak 3D facial recognition technology secures access and enables the club to be “exclusive.” These are just a few examples of the many ways security technology is at work every day around the world. I came across them when browsing through SourceSecurity.com’s Application section. Every system has a history. Each application of security technology has a story behind it, and more and more supplier companies are seeing the value of telling those stories. Sometimes, it’s not easy to get the stories out there. Suppliers have to browbeat their dealer/integrator partners to identify interesting ways their equipment is being used in the field, and then they have to work with each end user customer to collect the details of the story and to get the information written down and distributed. Showcasing value with success stories In the end, the application stories tell as much about our industry than anything else. Application case studies are about our successes. They demonstrate the value of our products and equipment in terms that any end user or integrator can understand. Simply put, application stories confirm that our industry’s products really work. Case studies are about happy customers – the best kind – so of course manufacturers want those stories told and retold. I personally love to hear how security technology is working in the real world. Application stories take the abstract concepts and technology jargon we hear every day and translate them into something concrete and understandable. This was our problem. Here’s how we solved it. These are our results. As a broad-ranging digital publisher dedicated to security systems and technology, SourceSecurity.com leverages its Applications to enable every supplier to share their successes. And technology makes it easy to search for content specific to any situation. I find it interesting just to browse through the various articles to see the diverse range of ways equipment is used. Definitely worth a look.