Aviation security watchdog BCAS is actively trialling advanced full body scanners at Bengaluru and Cochin airports, meticulously refining algorithms to address privacy concerns and ensure effective deployment across India's rapidly growing aviation sector.
Key Points
- BCAS is conducting trials of full body scanners at Bengaluru and Cochin airports to gather data for algorithm refinement.
- The trials aim to address privacy concerns and adapt the technology for specific Indian contexts, such as ornaments.
- Full body scanners have been mandated for eight airports, though Cochin is currently not among them.
- New scanners are designed to be 'image agnostic', displaying only a generic outline and highlighting suspicious areas.
- Refinement of algorithms is crucial as current technology is based on foreign markets and needs customisation for Indian citizens.
Aviation security watchdog BCAS is collecting data from the ongoing trials of full body scanners at Bengaluru and Cochin airports and the algorithms will be refined based on the outcome before deciding on introducing the scanners at the airports.
BCAS Trials And Mandates For Airports
Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) Director General Rajesh Nirwan on Thursday said full body scanners have been mandated for eight airports.
Trials of the scanners are being done at Bengaluru and Cochin airports, from where data and information such as how many alarms are generated are being collected. The gathered data will be assessed, he said at a briefing in the national capital.
Cochin is not among the eight airports where full body scanners have been mandated. Details about the eight airports could not be immediately ascertained.
Addressing Privacy And Algorithm Refinement
The idea of full body scanners was introduced a few years back, but due to various issues, including those related to passenger privacy, the technology is yet to be deployed at the airports.
In response to a query about the privacy concerns, Nirwan said that one issue was about the image that was coming out after scanning and now the scanners are being made 'image agnostic' as it will just be a model of a person.
The technology will display on the screen if something suspicious is detected or where something is kept on the body and will show only that particular part.
Amid concerns that wearing certain ornaments and even mangal sutra could trigger alarms by full-body scanners, BCAS is working on refining the algorithms used by these scanners in close coordination with the vendors and original equipment manufacturers.
"What we are getting today in India is based on algorithms that have been designed for foreign markets. There are certain typical things that are on the body of Indian citizens or people living in India. So, those algorithms are also being continuously refined," the BCAS DG said.
All such details will be available from data from the ongoing trials and accordingly, Nirwan said the algorithms will be refined.
India is one of the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets and there are now 165 airports.
