Pilot program will support federally mandated TWIC initiative; Unisys to design and manage identification and access control system

The Port Authority of Los Angeles has contracted with Unisys Corporation to design and manage an identification and access control system, using smart card and biometric technologies, to identify workers who require access to restricted areas in the port.

The three-year contract is part of the federal Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC) program, a joint effort of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Coast Guard to help secure the nation's maritime transportation system.

The program was established under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, which calls for a comprehensive, consistent security program for the nation's ports in effort to identify and deter threats.

Under the contract, Unisys is to plan, design, develop and manage a field test of the new system and help participating terminal operators integrate TWIC-enabled access control systems using a tamper-resistant credential or "smart card." The card will include a biometric component - a finger print template - and a digital photograph that will integrate with each operator's access control system and allow port facility security officers to identify workers granted access to restricted areas.

According to TSA, workers enrolled in the pilot would present a card to a biometric-enabled reader and place a finger on a reader at all pedestrian and vehicle ingress locations. The readers will compare the cardholder to the stored biometric template and automatically grant or deny access, as well as notify facility security officers of any incidents.

In addition to the TWIC project, Unisys has been the integrator for several other large-scale global identity programs, including a project awarded last year by the Port of Halifax to design and develop a biometric credentialing and access control database solution for approximately 4,000 port workers. The Credentialing and Access Control Database System uses vascular scanning technology to manage multi-level access control to permit entry to various secure facilities only to those individuals with proper clearances and approved access.