The use of facial recognition software has become prevalent in society. A quick and effective way of identifying anyone, the software has grown to be used in a wealth of different industries. Have a read below for everything that you need to know about the software.

1. Facial recognition software is considered to be a non-intrusive form of technology. There is no need to provide a fingerprint or scan your retina. The camera used for facial recognition is effective from a metre away. Much like CCTV, the person being identified may not even know it.
2. This identification method is becoming increasingly accurate as the technology evolves. Employed by a wealth of sectors, the technology has come on leaps and bounds over recent times – and will only continue to evolve.
3. The technology often requires the person to slightly adjust their features. This allows the camera to recognise you. Smiling or blinking will prevent any imposters from gaining access.
4. Some official documentation, such as passports or driving licences can utilise facial recognition software. This is one of the surest ways to prevent criminal activity, stemming from the production of falsified documents. This will reduce the amount of individual documents.
5. As the technology evolves, the opportunity to employ facial recognition software for a number of purposes is apparent. Indeed, PIN numbers and swipe cards may become obsolete.
6. Time and attendance systems benefit greatly from employing facial recognition software. Employers can employ the technology to effectively monitor employee attendance. Faces cannot be replicated. Fobs can.
7. By using facial recognition software, employees aren’t disclosing any information that that isn’t in the public arena anyway. There is no need to provide a wealth of sensitive or personal data.
8. Facial recognition software will, surely become increasingly prominent in society as time goes on. If you’re considering employing a secure and comprehensive security procedure, there are few better systems than the software.

Time and attendance clocks are only practical if staff turn up to use them in the first place. People can’t exactly clock in if they are sat at home feeling disgruntled due to an issue within the workplace.

We specialise in button based clocking systems, fingerprint solutions and facial recognition software at Africlock but we have to admit, we’re not miracle workers.

To get more people using time and attendance systems consider taking these approaches in the future…

Set out a clear structure

Inform workers of their responsibilities and pay particular attention to absenteeism within the workplace. Cleary define the company’s policy on sick leave so there are no misunderstandings, make workers aware of how their time off work has a direct impact on the business.

Monitor sick days

Do you have some workers that are off on sick more times than others? If so monitor their movements. See if there are any patterns forming, do they have Monday’s or Fridays off on a regular basis, are they ‘sick’ straight after a Public Holiday and has this happened before. If you feel certain workers are taking liberties you have every right to speak to them in private.

Make people aware of penalties

Cleary outline the consequences of taking unauthorised absences from the company. Notify workers that any period of false sickness claims and unofficial time off work could be dealt with by disciplinary action.

Have return to work meetings

Talk to employees if they have been off sick for a while. Ask if they are well enough to resume duties and show genuine concern for their wellbeing.

Tackle in-house problems

If harmony within the workplace is lacking try to find out what is causing the issue. Could it be a problem between particular staff members? Does the person in question have an issue with a co-worker or member of the management? Is there a problem at home, or is the team member having trouble coping with the workload?

Sometimes a simple chat can get to the root cause of the problem. Find out what the issue is and you can take steps to remedy the situation and improve worker attendance this way.

There are various ways to improve attendance figures at work. Once you tackle the problem keep monitoring the situation with a suitable clocking in system.

Time clocking machines have been employed in a wealth of different sectors and vocations for a very long time. Such systems allow for businesses to have an accurate gauge of employee attendance and hours worked, providing a pivotal stream of information when calculating payroll.

It’s true to say that not all companies make use of such systems. However, those businesses with a large workforce will discover that the information they collate is vital to enhancing the efficiency of their business.

Here are four solid reasons to employ clocking in machines within a business environment.

Precisely Tracking Hours

Clocking in machines allow businesses to calculate the hours that employees have worked. When left to employees, hours worked can be exaggerated. Clocking in machines negate any such discrepancies. Collating the hours worked by an individual employee is simple and reliable.

Making the Payroll Process Easier

As highlighted above, clocking in machines makes payroll easier and simpler to calculate. Once the clocking machines have collated the relevant information it’s then transmitted to a central hub database where any transcription errors are identified. Not only does this reduce the work of your payroll department, but it will also reduce the work of your payroll staff and any complaints. Manual transcriptions may suffer from human error.

Detection of Employee Presence

One of the major human resources issues that larger organisations suffer from is the presence of their employees throughout the course of any working day. Clocking in machines resolve this issue by detecting whether employees are present in the building or not. This can be especially useful if you have an issue that requires attention, or if a particular member of staff is needed should you have a client visit.

The Enforcement of Company Policy

Advanced clocking in machines can be programmed to mirror company policy and monitor employee behaviour. Employing such a system can inform your manager when an employee has poor timekeeping. In extreme cases clocking in machines can be used to discipline employees that persistently appear to not tow the company line.

These are four prominent reasons to employ the use of clocking in machines in the workplace. Not only will they enhance productivity but, they make collating payroll information all the easier.

Homeowner security is paramount. With the wealth of possessions kept in the home (some bought at significant cost) more and more homeowners are becoming increasingly security-conscious. The traditional lock and key security system may not provide appropriate security.

It’s true that standard lock and key security does have its limitations. For one, should one member of the household misplace their keys, a prudent security measure would be to replace all the locks in the home. Keypads can provide adequate security, however once the entry code is compromised then the security of your entire home is compromised. There is, however, a secure method to keep your valuables safe, one that offers superlative security with very little risk.

The future of home security may well be biometric security. At the touch of your finger or palm will grant you entrance to your home. Everyone in the world has a unique genetic marker. Every palm, hand and fingerprint is different. Biometric security is the surest security that your home can have.

The scanning technology used in biometrics is truly innovative. By placing your finger or palm print on a scanner you’ll be granted access to the premises. Gone are the days of losing your keys or forgetting the door code. You are solely granted access once your genetic signature corresponds with the one in the database. Nobody else in the whole world will be granted access to the premises as they’re finger or palm print is not the same as yours (or those that you have programmed into the scanner.)

Biometric home security has made keeping your belongings safe and secure as easy as possible. Not only is this form of security one of the most secure and innovative but it ensures that the days of carrying keys, key cards or remember codes are things of the past.

Have you considered that the manner in which you currently record your employees’ time is frustratingly inaccurate? Are you looking for a more effective way of recording time and attendance? If so, biometric time clocks could be the answer to your prayers.

The Future, Today

Biometric clocks use innovative technology. They are an evolution to the standard punch clock. Instead of requiring employees to punch in a time sheet biometric time clocks require employees to insert their hands into a reader. The scanner then recognises their finger or palm print and matches it with an employee number.

There are two distinct technologies, used in biometric time clocks – finger and handprint recognition. Fingerprint recognition is able to identify an employee’s fingers by the distinguishing ridges and valleys. Hand identification scans the shape and size of an employee’s hand and matches it with employee records.

The Benefits of Biometric Time Clocks Explained

There is a wealth of benefits to using biometric time clocks. The most obvious benefit is that biometric time clocks eliminate the need for paper time cards, employee badges, and any costs associated with buying or replacing lost or stolen cards and badges.

Using biometric time clocks reduces the amount of time needed to check time cards and verifying all attendance information is accurate, as well as eliminating any mistakes when calculating hours.

An additional benefit of biometric time clocks is that the consolidate payroll, reducing any involvement of HR and accounting departments whilst preventing so-called buddy punching which occurs when one employee punches another employees time card.

In short, biometric time clocks are a reliable and efficient way of accurately keeping track of the hours employees spend in their working environment. By switching to Biometric clocks you rid yourself of the hassles and inaccuracies often associated with standard clocking in systems.

Fuel Dispensers Defined

In simple terms fuel dispensing units are products that are employed to pump fuels into vehicles. From diesel to petrol, high octane fuels to kerosene they are used to easily transport the fuels that you need to power the vehicle.

How are they used?

Any fuel dispensing unit has two primary components. The first component is the controlling head which features an in-built CPU, the other being the mechanical part. The controlling head and CPU controls the flow rate and ensures that excess fuel is not lost. The CPU additionally connects to a sales system and display log. The mechanical system utilises electric motors, gauges, metres and valves, connecting all the mechanics of the dispenser together.

All fuel dispensers feature a submersible pump that’s immersed in the fuel tank. Those distant fuel tanks will need a suction pump to draw fuel from its storage to the tank.

Fuel dispensing units can have more than a single hose and as such more than a single nozzle attached to the end of the hose. This allows for increased access for the transfer of fuel. Stipulations for the material used in the transfer of liquid are only that the hose be able to withstand the harshest weather conditions and general wear and tear over a long period of time. Manufactures tend to colour code the nozzles to easily distinguish the type or grade of fuel and its intended destination. Such colour coding does tend to vary from country to country. The size of the nozzles used also differs in order to avoid the accidental pumping of fuel to an allotted tank.

Modern Fuel Dispensers

Innovation and advancements have allowed diesel distributors to have completely user-friendly interfaces. This promotes ease of use. Magnetic card readers enable customers to use their credit or debit cards for swift and convenient transactions. Numerical keypads where customers can check their transactions are also common.

Modern fuel dispensing units also have the capability to mix more than one fuel top the predefined proportion before dispensing. An electronic flow meter controls the fuel flow with the utmost accuracy. They are also equipped with a sensor-fit tube that runs the length of the nozzle. This allows the tube to cut the fuel flow as soon as they tank is full.

As you can plainly see modern fuel dispensers have a wealth of innovative features designed for ease of use and optimal fuel dispensing.

Simply put, iris recognition technology is the manner in which individuals are identified through the iris of their eye. Used in top level security environments, iris recognition technology is considered to be the most accurate security measure that can possibly be implemented. Indeed, some studies suggest that given the iris is a signature, unique to everyone different person on the planet, the odds of mis-identification are in the millions or billions to one.

Iris recognition technology is classified as biometric identification. The innovative technology has become popular throughout high security installations given its accuracy and ease of use. The technology is also considered safe to use. These key attributes ensure strict control access to high security areas.

How does it work?

Iris recognition technology works by combining computer vision, pattern recognition and optics. Initially, a black and white video camera lens is focused upon, and records a precise, sharp image of the eye. Lit by a low level light by the camera which provides optimal capacity for focusing the image, the resulting image is of the highest quality. Once the photograph has been taken a video frame is then digitised into a 512 byte file and stored on a computer database.

Such is the prowess of iris recognition technology the image can be recorded from as far as sixteen inches away. There is no need for the eye to physically tough the instrumentation. The identification of the individual is confirmed by a comparable scan of the recorded eye on a database. Within seconds the identity of the individual is confirmed. 

The Prowess of the technology is Unquestioned

There is no more accurate method of identifying individuals than iris recognition software. Every single iris has its own unique pattern and distinguishing features, not between identical twins and, both irises on the same face are slightly different.

Additionally, the iris does not alter with age. The patterns of the iris are completely formed by the age of eleven months and will remain stable throughout the course of a lifetime. Iris recognition technology uses more than two hundred and forty points of reference to identify the patterns. By comparison, fingerprint technology uses approximately sixty points of recognition.

As the future unfolds we may well begin to see the emergence of iris recognition technology throughout a wealth of installations and environments the world over. Unlike alternative physical recognition forms of identification an iris cannot be stolen, misplaced or forgotten. No problems are encountered should you forget your password or will you ever find yourself a victim of fraud. Iris recognition technology will surely become more prominent in society as time passes.

What is an automated payroll system?

In simple terms an automated payroll system effectively allows employers to distribute payroll processing through a computerised system. Payroll systems are used by employers the world over, streamlining their payroll procedures by ensuring that their employers are paid promptly and correctly.

Time Keeping Transportation

Employees are paid in accordance with the hours that they’ve worked each week. The employer is responsible for implementing a time-keeping system to calculate the number of hours worked, therefore paying employees accordingly. Many employers use a time clock to track the hours worked for each employee. Manual payroll systems require payroll to be completed by hand, this increases the likelihood of human error. Automated payroll systems negate this issue.

An automated time keeping system allows the employer to import time clock data directly into the payroll software. The Using a swipe card or badge, or in more innovative businesses, a hand or fingerprint system you can effectively calculate the working schedule of employees. Once the data is transported into the payroll software the data is calculated into hours worked. This simple procedure just requires a payroll member of staff to interpret the imported data.

Calculating payment

Automated payroll systems cover effectively calculate PAYE, loans and savings plans, hourly work or fixed salary wages for, potentially, an unlimited number of employees. Gross to net earnings are precisely calculated.

The automated payment system performs all manner of payments. From hourly rates to overtime, double time, salaries to commissions and even bonuses and reimbursements, the automated payment system facilitates all manner of payments. The system automatically generates pay checks and stubs and facilitates the required direct deposit.

Deduction Calculation

Salary and wage deductions are integral to payment processing. The employer is responsible for calculating these necessary deductions. From taxation to pension, and any number of reductions, such deductions are integral to the payment process. Automated payroll systems have tax codes encoded into the software. These systems calculate any withholding of monies precisely, and without error.

Keeping Records

National revenue services require employers to keep tax records for a period of time, as do governmental bodies. By using an automated payment system these records can be easily stored and accessed if necessary.

As you can plainly see the benefits of implementing an automated payroll system are numerous. Not only does an automated payroll system streamline the payroll process it ensures that all employees are paid promptly and correctly, allowing employers to feel confident their employees are happy with their salaries.

Fingerprint recognition has served as an identifiable form of personal identification for over a century. This science is preferred over other methods of establishing the identity of individuals for a number of different reasons.

Fingerprint recognition established professional forensic organisation, the International Association for Identification (IAI) in 1915. Fingerprint recognition established the first professional certification programme for forensic scientists, the IAI’s Certified Latent Print Examiner. The CLPE programme was founded in 1977. Those issued certification had to meet a stringent criteria.

Today, fingerprint recognition has evolved substantially, and is still the most commonly used forensic criteria used. In America alone, tens of thousands of people are added to fingerprint repositories each and every day.

Identification through fingerprints has been discovered as far back as 200BC. Chinese records from the Quin Dynasty 221-206BC have identified handprints as evidence during thievery investigations.

Moving forward more than a thousand years, a paper published by Dr. Nehemiah Grew was the first European to publish friction skin observations. In his 1684 paper to the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, he outlined important findings on friction ridge skin observations.

The 1800’s saw increased awareness and knowledge of fingerprinting. In 1858 Englishman, Sir William James Herschel, the Chief Magistrate of the Hooghly district in Junipoor, India on a whim impressed the hand of a local businessman, Rajadhar Konai.

It is thought that Sir William James Herschel did so to frighten him out of all thought of denying his signature. Sir William then made it a habit to record palm prints, and later finger prints. This is considered to be the first modern day use of fingerprinting, but as opposed to keeping the prints for scientific evidence, they were kept for superstitious reasons.

The twentieth century has saw fingerprint recognition become increasingly prevalent, especially in state services. In 1903 the New York State Prison system introduced the systematic use of fingerprints for US criminals. From 1905 to 1908 the US Army, US Navy and Marine Corps created a centralised reference collection of fingerprint cards as a means of identification. During the next twenty five years a number of law enforcement agencies across the US adopted fingerprint recognition as a means of identification.

In New Orleans, Louisiana on August 1^st 1977 the 62^nd Annual Conference of the International Association for Identification (IAI) was formally credited as the world’s first programme for fingerprint experts.

Since 1977 the IAI’s Latent Print Certification Board has proficiency tested thousands of applicants, and periodically tested all IAI Certified Latent Print Examiners (CLPE’s.)

Over the last three decades CLPE status has become a prerequisite for journeyman fingerprint expert positions in many US State and Federal governmental forensic laboratories. IAI CLPE status is considered by many identification professionals as a measurement of excellence.

Any futurists among you, sci-fi fans, or those with a curious nature may have been exposed to fictional impressions of facial recognition software. Sounds like technology that’s far, far away in the future, right? Well, believe it or not facial recognition software has been commonplace for almost a decade.

In 2001, the Tampa Police Department installed police cameras, equipped with facial recognition technology in the Ybor City nightlife district in an attempt to combat the growing crime rate. Sadly, after a two year experiment the software was deemed ineffective, and the project scrapped, yet with perseverance this technology has become prominent in today’s society.

Based in Minnesota, Identix is one of many companies that are presently developing facial recognition software for mainstream use. The Facelt software has the ability to pick out an individual face from a crowd and run a comparison search with a database of stored images.

So, how exactly does this software work?

Every individual face has its own distinguishing marks and features. From peaks and valleys that make up the contours of our face (or nodal points) to distinguishing features, each face is different. Each human face has approximately eighty nodal points. The software measures these through the following: the distance between the eyes, the width of the nose, the depth of the eye sockets, the shape of the cheekbones, and the length of the jaw line. These nodal points are measured creating a numerical code, called a face print. The image is then uploaded onto a database.

Facial recognition software of the past has relied on a 2D image for comparison. In order to be effective the image needs to be ideally looking directly into the camera with little variance in light or facial expression, obviously the margin for error was very slight. Even the smallest change would result in a nullified image.

3D Facial Recognition Software

As facial recognition software has evolved 3D images have become prevalent. Capturing a real-time image, with a person’s distinctive facial features like a rigid tissue and bone structure, precise eye socket curvature, and chin prominence has become possible. These features do not change over time, and are unique to the individual.

What is the exact science of 3D Facial Recognition Software work?

Firstly, the image is detected by digitally scanning an existing 2D photograph or by using a video image to provide a live picture of the subject.

Secondly, once the software has detected a face, the system determines the position of the head and the measurements of the features. The 3D software has the potential to recognise a face up to ninety degrees, whereas 2D software requires the face to be at least thirty five degrees from the camera. The software will then create measure the curves of the face on a sub-millimetre scale and create a template.

Thirdly, once the template has been established the software will then translate the template into a unique code. The code gives the template a set of numbers to represent the facial features. Once this process is determined the image is then scanned into a database containing a wealth of 3D images to determine a match. The challenge comes from the fact that some databases still only recognise 2D images.

The final step is to verify the image. The image should be solely matched to one image in the database. The match that’s identified in the database is called ‘Image 1.1’.

This software is especially prevalent and useful for law enforcement agencies, as well as a number of other sectors. Facial recognition software is here, and proving to be a valuable asset for society.