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​eu-LISA intends to organise a roundtable meeting "Future of Technology-Assisted Border Checks" on October 07th  in Tallinn, Estonia. The event will provide an opportunity for industry to update on and discuss current or near-future solutions. Discussions will be open to all attendees and no bilateral meetings will be organised.  The aim is to assemble and share thoughts; under no circumstances should the event be considered as a prelude or an advantage to eventual procurement exercises.

The event will combine keynote presentations and a joint practitioner-Agency-industry panel discussion with smaller workshops on topics of special interest, as delineated in the draft agenda.

Questions to be examined in the panel discussion will include:

Advancing large-scale IT for border control

  1. How to, in a scalable manner, manage flow control to ensure reliable queries at var​​​iable rates from different users and with variable priorities in order to ensure high reliability and high availability, particularly with biometric data – status and trends
  2. Advanced technologies to buffer data transmission in case of system or network failure. These could be applicable in mobile devices to cope with mobile network failure or be implemented in fixed systems at national level to overcome lost connections with a central server.
  3. Architectures for using multi-modal biometrics at large-scale to improve accuracy and to reduce FTE rates
  4. Suggestions for the reliable storage of biometric and biographic data to ensure fast retrieval of images and data

​Situational awareness / predictive analysis

  1. Using input and output of large-scale IT systems to enhance situational awareness and improve predictive analysis regarding border crossing

The main areas of focus and the questions which eu-LISA would like to see addressed in the parallel industry sessions are as follows:

Biometrics:

Hardware and software - performance and innovation:

  1. Reliable statistics regarding performance of biometrics in large-scale deployments.
  2. How to quantify the reliability of/level of confidence in a match, especially in a 1:n search using different biometric modalities, alone or in combination, or biometrics with variable quality. This should also consider the use of biographic information.
  3. Binning or other methods to reduce search size in 1:n searching, using biographic or other information.
  4. Ensuring implementation of standardised software to avoid vendor lock-in.
  5. How to eliminate the 'other race effect' in facial recognition.
  6. How to enrol fingerprints or face in outdoor conditions – in strong sunlight or in cold weather conditions.
  7. Using facial recognition and iris recognition together – operational examples and possible applications.
  8. The future of mobile devices for rapid and convenient biometric enrolment.
  9. Secure communication from mobile devices to national systems

Fraud and spoofing

  1. Hardware- and software-based counter-spoofing approaches that are recommended for implementation in a border control environment
  2. How to deploy self-service kiosks for biometric enrolment in an unsecured area in a secure manner

Use of alternative biometrics

  1. Use of behavioural biometrics at borders.
  2. Combining fingerprints with finger vein recognition.
  3. Suggestions for any alternative biometrics that should be considered in border control going forward.

Participation and Logistics

eu-LISA would therefore like to call on all vendors and integrators with expertise in one or more of the above fields to express their interest in attending the event. Attendees may have the opportunity to present their work and should indicate a willingness to do so in their submission. eu-LISA will select presenters from those submitted based on the relevance of the topics proposed and the expertise of the proposing companies. Capacity is limited and eu-LISA reserves the right to select attendees based on their areas of expertise and knowledge and their likely relevance to the proposed discussions. The Agency will not be in a position to cover any costs associated with attendance at the event.

Registration for the event is now closed. However, further information on the event can be had by contacting: round-table [dot] eulisa [at] propager [dot] eu (round-table[dot]eulisa[at]propager[dot]eu​)

Background

eu-LISA delivers high quality service to end-users by ensuring the continuous, secure and effective operation of the three large-scale IT systems for which it is responsible. In the field of border checks, eu-LISA operates the European Visa Information System which improves the efficiency and effectiveness of checks on third country national travellers who require a visa to enter the European Schengen zone. The Agency is also currently delivering a pilot on the proposed Smart Borders package that entails development of new systems to advance border checks through the use of advanced technologies. In order to advance this work and to support the Agency's efforts to look to the future of border checks supported by knowledge and understanding of the state-of-the-art in hardware, software and IT, eu-LISA intends to convene relevant vendors working in this field for an industry roundtable event. As a centre of expertise in the field, eu-LISA will also utilise this opportunity to open the forum to other relevant participants.​

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