NEC subsidiary buys Disaster Victim Identification System from Plass Data

NEC Corporation subsidiary KMD has purchased the biometric DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) System International from Plass Data, the company announced. The purchase includes the Plass Data System, customer agreements and intellectual property rights. The deal also involves transferring three employees to KMD Group’s headquarters in Ballerup, Denmark. Plass Data Software A/S has gone into liquidation.

DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) System International is used in over 25 countries by INTERPOL’s Incident Response Teams, the National Police in Denmark and police in countries including Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, South Africa, and Canada.

The DVI system is based on advanced software used to identify missing persons and body data of victims in accidents or natural disasters, performing searches on data such as dental records, DNA, fingerprints, X-rays and photos. The system has been used to identify the victims of disasters including the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Air France crash in the Atlantic in 2009 and the MH17 plane crash in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

“We’re pleased to bring the DVI system into KMD’s product portfolio,” says Søren Henriksen, executive vice president and head of Strategy, Technology and Communication at KMD. “This is software that is absolutely vital to society, helping authorities around the world in difficult situations. This is a task that we would like to assist with. At the same time, the customer portfolio is a good match with the foreign business plans that KMD has put together with our owners from NEC.”

“There’s no doubt that the system area is extremely important in situations that require all the help available. Together with NEC, one of the world leaders in biometrics, we can help to develop the product area and ensure that authorities around the world are prepared as best possible in the event of a disaster,” Henriksen elaborates.

The purchase price has not been disclosed.

NEC recently partnered with INTERPOL to update a global cybersecurity agreement signed in 2014 under which NEC’s cybersecurity solutions are used in cybercrime investigation and analysis to boost international security.

Article Topics

acquisitions  |  biometrics  |  forensics  |  identity verification  |  NEC