I527-290 ESRIF Final Report (WEB).indd - European Commission

In general, interoperability will require governance and standards to be agreed within Member States, among Member States
and with third countries. A series of border control-relevant systems will be put in place or upgraded in the near future. To be
interoperable there must be signifi cant research into interface layers and common data models that will allow this diversity of
systems to be truly interoperable.
Border Checks (including aspects of customs control)
Eff ective and effi cient border checks of people and goods require a broad range of solutions. Some devices are better for
checking people, others for cargo etc. A combination would bring considerable benefi ts, such as improved accuracy.
CBRNE detection is not yet satisfactory (e.g. the challenge of explosives as liquids). In particular, early warning systems with
real-time monitoring are not yet available, and there is a need for solutions to be more aff ordable, fl exible, reliable and userfriendly.
Identifi cation of pathogens is at present not fast enough (requires growing a culture) or not suffi ciently specifi c to detect
dangerous substances with low false alarm rates.
Radioactive and Nuclear detection are advanced. NMR (nuclear-magnetic–resonance) is in operation to detect certain types
of explosives, but the process is slow and is far from becoming a real-time system. Explosive detection technology is still under
research using spectroscopic (terahertz, laser) and image methods and is not yet a technologically reliable. Stand-off detection
capability is highly desirable.
Neutron radiography represents a very promising technology in the medium to long term. It is suitable for producing high
quality images and can be used to detect elemental composition. In collaboration with gamma ray scanning it can produce
good results.
X-ray scanners are in use to screen the content of a container detecting objects and people. The detection process is very slow and
may be hazardous for humans inside the container. The challenge here is to reduce the screening time and to improve the image.
Terahertz technology is under research for screening at checkpoints to detect explosives and weapons or substances hidden
under the clothes of persons.
Active Millimetre Wave Scanning technology for personal screening is in the testing phase at a few airports, but could face problems
with passenger acceptance. Passive Millimetre Wave Scanning potentially resolves that issue but is still in the research phase.
Screening or Filtering has an important role to play – e.g. applying tests, intelligence or route tracking deviations to fi lter out
items requiring further scanning or investigation.
The ability to automatically detect document forgeries needs further improvement: the computer aided analysis of IRU/V/
visual images produced by document readers needs to be far more reliable, faster and fl exible. It should be possible to
confi gure “matching rules” for each document type specifi cally to check only what needs to be checked. It should be possible
to confi gure new matching rules for newly found “regions of interest” in a certain document type, though this would require
reliable, secure and timely communication with issuing authorities.
Video surveillance in security areas is usually almost fully-fl edged. The ability to discern individuals in a crowd and track their paths
would help aviation security as well as, for example, the identifi cation of asylum seekers claiming to have lost their documents.
Systems for automated assessment of deviant behaviours might also be developed.
Systems for automated border control are already well-advanced in some Member States, usually at high-passenger volume
airports, but need to be further developed in order to make border checks even more eff ective and cost-effi cient.
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