Chinese railway station to pilot facial recognition system

A major railway station in southern China will begin testing a new facial recognition system later this month as part of the country’s ongoing anti-terrorism efforts, according to a report by the Beijing News.

In mid June, the railway station in Guangzhou, capital of the Guangdong province, will begin piloting the facial recognition system, which identifies suspects by comparing hi-res videos to a database of wanted criminals and fugitive prisoners.

Tian Qing, a researcher at the First Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security, said the organization has been researching facial recognition technology since 2002.

Qing said the system is able to simultaneously identify five people a second, making it one of the most advanced systems in the world.

Named Facing the Future, the system features a portable data collection terminal, a high accuracy rate of identification, and a rich interface, said Tian.

The system has already been used for anti-terrorism and security measures at large-scale events, including APEC and China’s annual meetings involving the top legislative and advisory organizations.

The facial recognition system is expected to be used in airports, subways, bus stations and railway stations in the future, said Qing, adding that Beijing’s Department of Public Security has also expressed interest in the system.

The First Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security began researching facial recognition technology in 2002.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  China  |  criminal identity management  |  police  |  terrorism