They also found that there has been no adequate study on the effects of ageing and facial recognition. Despite these concerns, the report did acknowledge that biometric facial scanning was suitable for use when verifying photo documents, given that the preconditions, such as controlled ambient lighting, are met (cf. An investigation into the performance of facial recognition systems relative to their planned use in photo identification documents - BioP I, 2004).
III. Viability for Use in Large-Scale Venues
The success of facial recognition technology for wide-scale security augmentation is hindered by the inherent limitations of current technology, as well as environmental and physiological factors. Given that venues for major sporting events traditionally have security measures already in place, such as video surveillance and gated access, facial recognition technology might be useful in augmenting other, more traditional forms of security. For facial recognition to be successfully implemented, it is necessary to capture facial images when visitors go through gated areas, and then compare that image against government databases. There are, however, severe limitations with this type of electronic surveillance, since for accurate scanning, visitors must look directly into a camera, not be wearing any articles of clothing that might obstruct facial features (such as hats or glasses), and ambient lighting must be controlled. Additionally, facial recognition technology can only provide warning for people who have photographic records in government databases; as...
Furthermore, in order to increase the accuracy of the technology, security personnel must be able to maximize control of the environment, as well as the subject. Lastly, it should be noted that, due to technological limitations, "performing facial recognition processes with relatively high fidelity and at long distances remains technically challenging for automated systems" (John D. Woodward et al., 2003, p. 12); therefore, facial recognition must be implemented at points of entry into the stadium, and even then will only have limited success, due to the myriad constraints on the technology, as well as the environmental preconditions that must be met to ensure accuracy.
References
An investigation into the performance of facial recognition systems relative to their planned use in photo identification documents - BioP I. (2004). Retrieved April 9, 2007. from www.bsi.de/english/publications/studies/BioPfinalreport.pdf.
John D. Woodward, J., Horn, C., Gatune, J., & Thomas, a. (2003). Biometrics: A Look at Facial Recognition. Arlington, VA: RAND.
Summary of NIST Standards for Biometric Accuracy, Tamper Resistance, and Interoperability. (2002). Retrieved April 9, 2007. from www.itl.nist.gov/iad/894.03/NISTAPP_Nov02.pdf.
