ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some of the technologies that are used by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to achieve its mission. Homeland security technologies continue to evolve as the threats to national security change. The chapter addresses the DHS structure and how it procures new technologies. It focuses on applications that fall into the following areas: detection and identification. Detection is an area with a wide array of technologies and potential technologies. Biometrics—identification using a person's unique physical characteristics—is increasingly being used in a number of security-related fields. The United Kingdom's registered traveler program uses an iris-scan identification system to allow passengers to pass more quickly through automated barriers at certain airports. Other biometric identifiers currently in use include retina scans, face recognition, voice analysis, hand geometry, and palm-vein authentication. Some nations have begun placing radio-frequency identification tags in passports, while other ID cards verify authenticity through the use of an embedded biometric identifier.
