Posted by John McHale
RESTON, Va., April 24, 2010. Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) has developed BioTRAC, a ruggedized, portable identity management system for secure and efficient multi-modal biometrics collection in the field.
BioTRAC is a flexible, scalable, and durable platform designed for in-theatre biometric capture, identity management, and mobile mission computing requirements. The customizable system has applicability for users supporting military operations, as well as homeland security, law enforcement, and transportation security missions.
Northrop Grumman's BioTRAC introduces an open hardware platform with integrated biometrics collection capabilities. BioTRAC accommodates Windows or Linux-based commercial- and government-off-the-shelf (GOTS) biometric collection matching software in a military specificationruggedized hand-held computing device.
"Our warfighters, national security agents and public safety professionals in the field face situations on a daily basis that require immediate, real-time attention and action," says Alan Leckenby, vice president of International and Identity Management for Northrop Grumman's Information Systems sector. "BioTRAC is engineered to withstand all environmental conditions and assist in mission-critical operations that help keep security personnel, our nation and allied countries safe."
BioTRAC incorporates several biometric acquisition devices for complete identity enrollment in less than two minutes, including: four high-resolution fingerprint sensors; a multi-function camera with one- and two-dimensional barcode reading; and dual iris capture cameras. Additional capabilities include a smart card reader, GPS, a two-dimensional barcode scanner, proximity card reader, and wireless communications including 3G, 802.11 and Bluetooth. BioTRAC can also be vehicle mounted for mobile units.
Northrop Grumman's BioTRAC is manufactured by Black Diamond Advanced Technology, Tempe, Ariz. Black Diamond designed BioTRAC on the platform of its ultra-rugged, second generation SwitchBack MT computer, which features a reconfigurable architecture and modular design.
