Businesses need verification devices for digital health passes

Much of the world has largely returned to normal business operations, with some measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Digital health passes are being adopted around the globe for a variety of different use cases, from international travel to visiting the restaurant down the street. The details differ between countries and regional blocs, but proof of immunity status or test results is widely required in the travel and retail industries, and for businesses of all kinds.

This is likely to remain the case for some time. An Emirates executive recently revealed that the airline is preparing for at least two more years of COVID-related safety measures.

In the European Union, the EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) consists of a QR code and a digital signature verified through a gateway. Individual EU Member States issue their own version, such as Germany’s CovPass app, to the regional standard. Digital health passes are widely used in China for proof of vaccination or test results for entry to businesses and public facilities.

Telpo has also recently released its own digital health pass solution, and offers a range of devices suited to efficient verification of health passes and digital identity documents.

Combining the digital health pass software with its TPS508 desktop scanner and two years of support, Telpo is bringing its technologies to market as an integrated, all-in-one solution.

An enormous amount of media attention and industry thought has gone into how digital health passes should work, and what technologies they should use. Verification devices however, are a crucial and under-discussed need for many businesses on the road to economic recovery.

What does my organization need to verify health passes?

Organizations have different requirements for their digital health pass verification devices, depending on the type of pass they are verifying and the operation environment. Make sure you have the right kind of scanning capability built into the device.

QR codes are the most common types of barcodes in use, and are used in Telpo’s own digital health pass app, but verifying that the health status certificate matches the person presenting it may involve another authentication method. This may be a scan of another ID document, such as through NFC, or a biometric like facial verification.

Face biometrics are required in some instances to ensure the person holding the pass matches the credential. Organizations implementing their own system or that want to be able to accept a wide variety of credentials should also consider other biometrics capabilities like fingerprint authentication, and document scanning methods like NFC communication.

Organizations verifying the EU DCC and other health credentials also used for international travel require QR code scanning.

In the case of passes without QR codes, it may be necessary to prove the identity of a person through comparison of their name with a photo ID document with face biometric authentication.

Integration capabilities are another important aspect to consider for applications such as access control. Other capabilities organizations may want to consider integrating include temperature scanning and mask detection.

Finally, support for secondary development is a necessity for many digital health pass verification deployments. Organizations building their own apps to include COVID vaccination or test status verification to run on the devices will rely on a common, open operating system, like Android, and sufficient on-board memory.

Verification devices may also need to be integrated with third-party software for tracking information like the number of people admitted, and in such cases must be able to upload the data to enterprise software systems.

What kind of devices are effective for this application?

Matching the technical and support capabilities of the verification device to the organization’s needs, as described above, but there are other considerations. Cost, ease of use and quality device construction are all important, but ease of integration and deployment should also be considered, particularly for time-sensitive projects.

The TPS508 scanner is ideal for many digital health pass verification scenarios due to its QR code scanner, Ethernet, WiFi and Bluetooth communication, and ease of use features like an indicator light and voice prompt for successful registration or verification. It also includes a large-capacity battery and options for NFC scanning and a thermal printer. The device has been deployed to a Chinese government affairs hall as part of a system for checking green passes, the company says.

Telpo offers a full suite of multi-functional devices to provide different sets of capabilities and deployment styles to suit different business needs and settings such as vaccination centers, hospitals, sports and community centers, and offices. The TPS360 provides handheld scanning of QR codes, as well as NFC and fingerprint scanning for matching against national ID documents.

The TPS530 is designed for digital health pass verification on public transit, the Certificate Scanner F6 features a voice intercom, and the TPS950T includes QR code and temperature scanning.

Telpo devices with face biometrics are currently in use for digital health pass verification and other pandemic-related applications in a variety of settings. The Shanghai Oriental Sports Center recently installed Telpo’s F2 access control gates with QR code scanning for fast and efficient event entry that maintains social distancing. Telpo’s TPS980T facial recognition kiosks, which support digital health certificate verification and temperature measurement, were deployed to the Shunde railway station to allow people to scan their ID cards for convenient entry into the system.

Plan for the future

Businesses will need to keep in mind any planned or likely changes to the rules around gatherings and the credentials people are allowed to use in proving their health status to ensure a strong return on investment.

For some, a complete solution like Telpo’s all-in-one digital COVID-19 certificate verification solution will be the most practical option, allowing fast deployment without taking human resources away from the business’ core operations. The complete Telpo solution provides the QR code-based app, the TPS508 scanner, and two years of service, allowing businesses to skip the development cycle entirely.

Organizations in many industry verticals are still working through their digital health pass policies. While doing so, it is important not to forget the verification process itself, and the technology needed to make it run smoothly for businesses and customers.

Article Topics

authentication  |  biometrics  |  credentials  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  document reader  |  document verification  |  facial recognition  |  fingerprint scanners  |  health passes  |  identity verification  |  NFC  |  Telpo