News and insight into biometric identification and authentication

Florida cafeteria to use biometrics

Thursday, April 17, 2008

The Tampa Tribune reports that Schrader Elementary and Chasco Middle School in New Port Richey, Fla., will test a new program this month in the hope of speeding up their lunch lines.

The biometrics system, sold by School-Link Technologies, is similar to one used by pass holders at Disney’s theme parks in Orlando. If the system works well, it will be installed at Veterans Elementary in Wesley Chapel and Crews Lake Middle in Shady Hills, which open next year, and phased in during the next three to five years.

The cost, about $350 a keypad, is about the same as replacing the old system, which is about 10 years old. The scanner collects and stores a numerical pattern that denotes contours rather than a fingerprint, and no fingerprints may be retrieved from the system. Parents who do not wish to have their children participate may opt out of the pilot program. [end] 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) have announced that ICE’s Secure Communities program has begun in Florida. Secure Communities is set-up to help state officials identify criminal foreigners, both legally and illegally in the United States, already in police custody.

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The College Center for Library Automation in Tallahassee sent out notices about a software upgrade that may have left about 30,000 students, faculty and staff Social Security numbers and other private data vulnerable for theft, according to a local news article.

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A number of campaigns have been set out to improve school meals and the health of our nation’s school children. And Innovate’s Derek Lubner firmly suggests that the cashless card is critical in the whole piece, and pushing this campaign further.

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A webinar hosted by Angel.com, an interactive voice response (IVR) and call center solutions provider, and VoiceVault, a developer of voice recognition biometrics, drives at the need for voice biometrics in call center operations looking for unique alternatives to boost efficiency and lower costs, according to a TMCnet article.

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Infinite Campus Inc. announced the availability of Cafeteria Serve, a new point-of-sale food service option with an integrated online payment functionality. This new service, designed for cafeteria operations not requiring cash or complex menus, comes as part of the Campus Food Service license from Infinite Campus.

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University of Central Florida has expanded its card services to offer students more options when using and managing their student ID cards, according Central Florida Future.

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