Thermal scanners, facial imaging coming to airports

State DOT selects companies to install technology

The state Department of Transportation is giving a $37.5 million contract to a group of companies who will provide thermal temperature screening and facial imaging technology at Hawaii’s public airports.

Tokyo-based NEC Corporation, Texas-based NEC Corporation of America and their partner Infrared Cameras Inc. will install the technology that will help identify passengers with potentially elevated body temperatures.

“We recognize that temperature screening won’t catch every infected passenger, but it is an available tool that can be implemented and combined with the additional measures the state is providing to help prevent the spread of this virus, while helping to rebuild the economy,” Gov. David Ige said in a news release from the state on Thursday.

The companies combined resources to submit a unified proposal for the project. The $37.5 million contract includes $23.3 million for equipment installation and a 10-year maintenance plan of $1.42 million annually, according to a news release from NEC Corporation.

The thermal screening equipment will be installed immediately at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Kahului Airport, Lihue Airport, Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole and Hilo International Airport.

During Phase 1, the companies will install the temperature screeners this month at the gates currently being used for arriving trans-Pacific flights.

Phase 2 will involve installing the temperature screeners at the remaining gates in the coming weeks.

Phase 3 is anticipated to have facial recognition equipment installed by Dec. 31.

NEC Corporation said that the system will only temporarily retain a picture of a person with an elevated temperature of 100.4 degrees and above to help airport officials identify and assess them for health precautions. The picture will be erased within 30 minutes and will not be shared with any outside agencies, the company said. Images of anyone with a temperature below 100.4 degrees will not be retained at all.

The system will not automatically have a person’s personal information, such as their name, address or driver license number, and will not contain information about criminal history or outstanding warrants, the company said.

NEC Corporation added that thermal image capture technology is expected to be more cost effective than manual temperature checks. The Hawaii National Guard has been helping to take passengers’ temperatures before they pass through TSA.