Advanced Technology Will Distribute 3-D Images Via Web-Based System Within Minutes of Reported Abduction
FAIRMONT, W.Va., Feb. 2, 2005 — A pilot biometrics program called AmberView(SM) designed to aid in the recovery of missing children has been unveiled by the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation.
AmberView, a coordinated pilot program in West Virginia designed to work in collaboration with state and national Amber Alert programs, was demonstrated today as a program that quickly disseminates three-dimensional (3-D) images of missing children through a web-based distribution system within minutes of a reported child abduction. The system showed the ability to "mass broadcast" a digital, 3-D facial image of a missing child to law enforcement officials, media organizations, the private sector and other sources.
"AmberView is a program that applies an advanced technology like biometrics to the very real and tragic problem of child abduction," said WVHTC Foundation President and CEO James L. Estep. "We are confident this program can be applied statewide, nationally and even globally because we all know that the crime of child abduction knows no borders."
AmberView Program Manager Robert Chico explained that the WVHTC Foundation provided information to students, parents and parent-teacher organizations seeking parental approval for student volunteers for the pilot program. Following the parental approval process, high resolution, 3-D digital images were recorded of volunteer students in three West Virginia counties. The 3-D format allows the image to be enlarged and viewed from various angles, making positive identification easier. All images have been stored on a secure server located at the WVHTC Foundation and maintained in a secure database.
"Upon receiving an authorized Amber Alert, that child
