Periodic Reporting for period 2 - FLEXI-cross (Flexible and Improved Border-Crossing Experience for Passengers and Authorities)
Période du rapport: 2024-03-01 au 2025-08-31
The FLEXI-cross project aims to increase security and reliability of EU border checks for people and goods, while enhancing and improving the border management capabilities, through the development, deployment and validation of a toolkit of innovative border-checking solutions, in real operational environments, addressing road, rail and port borders. The resulting flexibility and dynamicity of border check planning will offer novel capabilities such as dynamic deployment of check-points and support via mobile applications for border personnel, while guaranteeing high level of security, privacy of personal data and protection of people's fundamental rights.
Through the FLEXI-cross solution the following functionalities will be delivered:
i) anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling protection via predictive risk assessment of vehicle and people,
ii) enhanced border security through portable biometric based checks,
iii) secure person verification through real-time multi-source cross-referencing,
iv) flexible, fast and cost-effective deployment of ad-hoc Border Check Points (BCP),
v) secure, private and traceable sensitive / personal data exchange based on blockchain technology and vi) increased safety and improved experience for border-personnel based on advanced Human Machine Interfaces and enhanced situational awareness via Augmented Reality (AR).
The FLEXI-cross project engages key European border authorities and end-users (police, port/rail operators, etc.) and brings them together with leading SW and technology developers, research organizations and innovative SMEs, to co-design the requirements and the solutions and to validate the project outcomes. This collaboration will drive the deployment of three state-of-the-art border-checking trial facilities, to enable real life trials in diverse operational environments, namely, vehicle-based road border crossing, rail-based border-crossing and port embarkation/disembarkation.
Through the FLEXI-cross solution the following functionalities will be delivered:
i) anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling protection via predictive risk assessment of vehicle and people,
ii) enhanced border security through portable biometric based checks,
iii) secure person verification through real-time multi-source cross-referencing,
iv) flexible, fast and cost-effective deployment of ad-hoc Border Check Points (BCP),
v) secure, private and traceable sensitive / personal data exchange based on blockchain technology and vi) increased safety and improved experience for border-personnel based on advanced Human Machine Interfaces and enhanced situational awareness via Augmented Reality (AR).
The FLEXI-cross project engages key European border authorities and end-users (police, port/rail operators, etc.) and brings them together with leading SW and technology developers, research organizations and innovative SMEs, to co-design the requirements and the solutions and to validate the project outcomes. This collaboration will drive the deployment of three state-of-the-art border-checking trial facilities, to enable real life trials in diverse operational environments, namely, vehicle-based road border crossing, rail-based border-crossing and port embarkation/disembarkation.
The activities performed and the main achievements of the FLEXI-cross project during the second period are the following:
- FLEXI-cross solution toolkit design & architecture
- organization of the trials applying the use cases defined considering the National/EU border authorities and passenger requirements collected
- definition of the hardware and software assets (backend systems, devices) for each use cases
- exploitation and dissemination activities through the creation of project teaser, leaflet, social media accounts, a project catalogue with the technical results
- participation to the Horizon Results Booster initiative and different public events such as workshops and meetings
- several newsletters have been created and published.
- A joint White Paper with sister projects have been issued and published on the project website
The ethics monitoring has been managed as well during all the second period of the project. The External Ethics Advisor (EEA) appointed by the consortium reviewed selected FLEXI-cross deliverables. The EEA assessment of RP2 is collected in the deliverable D6.8 (M24) and D6.9 (M36) respectively.
All the scientific and technical activities are conducted with experts in the field of Biometric techniques.
- FLEXI-cross solution toolkit design & architecture
- organization of the trials applying the use cases defined considering the National/EU border authorities and passenger requirements collected
- definition of the hardware and software assets (backend systems, devices) for each use cases
- exploitation and dissemination activities through the creation of project teaser, leaflet, social media accounts, a project catalogue with the technical results
- participation to the Horizon Results Booster initiative and different public events such as workshops and meetings
- several newsletters have been created and published.
- A joint White Paper with sister projects have been issued and published on the project website
The ethics monitoring has been managed as well during all the second period of the project. The External Ethics Advisor (EEA) appointed by the consortium reviewed selected FLEXI-cross deliverables. The EEA assessment of RP2 is collected in the deliverable D6.8 (M24) and D6.9 (M36) respectively.
All the scientific and technical activities are conducted with experts in the field of Biometric techniques.
The FLEXI-cross solutions delivered efficient, secure, safe and flexible border-checking operation which significantly improves the traveller’s experience by reducing the waiting and processing time of the border-checking process via: (i) traveller pre-registration capability, (ii) targeted in-depth searches instead of randomized ones, (iii) increased detection rate and detection speed of risky incidents, (iv) predictive risk assessment of travellers and vehicles and (v) flexible and optimized checking process based on real-time data and with optimized use of human and other resources. Moreover, the border crossing experience for both travellers and border personnel will be significantly improved thanks to the following features delivered by FLEXI-cross: (vi) traveller interaction and information provision via the FLEXI-Cross portal (e.g. HMI via smartphone) and (vii) enhanced awareness for the border personnel via AR enabled solutions.
The results delivered during the second period are:
- the FLEXI-cross toolkit
- the final version of the data model for the interoperability among different authorities
- the final version of the GUI for the Visual Analytics Dashboard
- the final version of the Data Export
- the use cases scenarios identified with steps for the validation and the related association of KPI and metrics that have been be measured during the trials
The results delivered during the second period are:
- the FLEXI-cross toolkit
- the final version of the data model for the interoperability among different authorities
- the final version of the GUI for the Visual Analytics Dashboard
- the final version of the Data Export
- the use cases scenarios identified with steps for the validation and the related association of KPI and metrics that have been be measured during the trials