Based on technical requirements derived from the user requirements established early on the project, the PROTECT overall system architecture was designed and implemented. A key innovation, the Biometric Capture Area (BCA), was conceived, specified and developed incorporating a multimodal biometric sensor network applicable to travellers on-foot (principally at air/sea borders) and land with travellers in vehicles (at land borders). Additionally, for the air/sea border use case, a novel person re-identification system was developed to support tracking of travellers within the BCA.
Mobile passports (on smartphones), and advanced passports incorporating multimodal biometrics, were researched and developed enabling identity verification on-the-move. Individual biometric devices were further developed, and new privacy enhancing (especially template protection) and counter spoofing methods were researched.
A demonstration system was built up applicable to both the air/sea border as well as the land border, integrating the various technological components. A traveller enrolment kiosk was designed and implemented. Extensive performance and vulnerability analysis was undertaken. A number of technical and user validation sessions were conducted with consortium and ELAG members only. Two successful final demonstrations were held, one at the Polish Border Guard training centre in Ketrzyn, Poland and the second with the UK Border Force and Eurostar in London, UK, involving external stakeholders and consortium staff. In total more than 60 external stakeholders attended the demonstrations with very positive feedback. No real travellers were involved in the demonstrations.
A key part of the project work was also to undertake a thorough investigation of privacy and data protection, ethical and social issues raised by contactless and multimodal biometric systems
PROTECT disseminated its research and innovations to a wide range of audiences including the scientific community, industry, policy makers, investors, end users, and the general public. 52 scientific publications including journals and conference proceedings were published, and the project participated to 38 conferences, 15 workshops, and 26 other events.
PROTECT produced a significant number of exploitable results both at the level of the overall PROTECT system as well as individual biometric innovations. With respect to potential markets, PROTECT results are relevant both to border control as well as applications requiring large scale identity verification (e.g. ticketless barriers). Such market opportunities are being actively pursued, in particular by the main project industrial partner.