Biometric devices eyed for airport security. (Security Beat).

EDS, Pricewaterhouse Coopers Consulting, Sun Microsystems and Oracle are working on a program that would combine biometric and risk assessment technologies to make airports safer.

The National Integrated Security Suite is based on a biometric system initially developed by EDS, that has been in use at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport since 1998. According to EDS, that system has processed 1.5 million passengers up to date.

The National Integrated Security Suite combines two programs -- the Known Traveler and the Secure Employee. Known Traveler is a voluntary passenger registration program that will establish identity and assess the security risk for registered travelers, who then could move easily into and through security checkpoint areas. Passengers would register either on the Web or at an airport kiosk by filling out a brief questionnaire and agreeing to a background check. After providing proof of identity, biometric information in the form of an electronic fingerprint and iris scan data are encrypted on a travel identification card, ready to be used at specific checkpoints.

Secure Employee is an employee registration and authentication program designed to identify and assess the security risk associated with airport workers. Specifically, Secure Employee uses a "ten-print" scanner to obtain fingerprints required for pre-employment background investigations of airport employees and contractors, authenticating identity and establishing a risk assessment. The employee's biometric data is used to manage access to secure areas and computer systems.