Defense Department sees Viisage for facial recognition

Viisage Technology Inc. has won a three-year, $4.1 million contract from the Defense Department to continue developing facial recognition solutions for government agencies, the company announced June 18.

Under the contract, Viisage of Littleton, Mass., will work with the Defense Department's Technical Support Working Group to develop solutions in security, intelligence and antiterrorism, the company said.

Viisage's work with the group in the past has included applications for access control, surveillance and large database searching for federal, military and intelligence agencies. The company and the working group have been collaborating on facial recognition technology since 1998.

The new contract will allow the working group to take advantage of the combined facial recognition solution of Viisage and ZN Vision Technologies AG of Bochun, Germany. Viisage's acquisition of ZN is anticipated to close in the third quarter. The combined solution will set a new standard for speed, performance and accuracy, according to Viisage.

Viisage, a provider of advanced technology for identity verification solutions, has about 115 employees and had annual sales of $32.3 million in 2002, according to Hoover's Online of Austin, Texas.