"TSA Preps Smart ID Programs"

Federal Computer Week (11/20/02); O'Hara, Colleen 

In an effort to enable frequent travelers and transportation workers 
to get through airports faster, the Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) is boosting its smart card-based initiatives.    

TSA will soon launch two programs, the Transportation Worker 
Identification Credential (TWIC) program and the Registered 
Traveler Program (RTP).   

The TWIC program will provide all transportation workers--including 
those in airports, railways, and ports--secure access to buildings 
and systems with an ID card that can be used across all modes of 
transportation.   

Technologies being tested for the program include digital photographs 
and holographic images, optical media stripes, memory-microprocessor 
ICC chips, magnetic stripes, 2-D bar codes, and linear bar codes.   

Also to be assessed will be the TWIC enrollment center, personalization 
and issuance, a regional database, and regional card production, 
according to TWIC program manager Elaine Charney.   

She said that the Philadelphia/Wilmington area has been selected as 
the site of the TWIC pilot program, which will be planned over an 
interval of three months.   

The RTP will enable pre-screened passenger to quickly move through 
security checkpoints in airports, allowing security personnel to 
focus on passengers who may be a greater security risk, said RTP 
manager Michael Barrett.  

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/1118/web-card-11-20-02.asp

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News Summary should be cited as the source of the information.  
Copyright 2002, Information Inc., Bethesda, MD.

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Source: NLECTC - http://www.nlectc.org/justnetnews/weeklynews.html#story14

Cheers, Steve..

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