With So Many Barcode Printing Technologies, Which One is Right for My Business?

First of all, it is not necessary to have a dedicated barcode printer. Any printer that can print labels will print barcode labels with the right software. But, in almost every serious business situation having a dedicated printer makes sense.

Dedicated barcode printers are designed to work with barcode software applications and with many types of barcode media. They do an excellent job of printing accurate labels which at first glance may not seem like much. But, consider that the barcode is an intricate pattern that must meet exacting specifications in order for barcode readers to understand the code. Most shared document printers are not designed to meet these specifications. Yes, you can make a document printer work, but the time and cost in all but the simplest business situations is prohibitive.

Barcode printers can be segmented into three main categories based on their intended environment. They include:

1. Small offices where cost effectiveness is important and speed is not an essential requirement. These are the least costly if you are not printing labels often.

2. Industrial applications such as hospitals and industry where reliability and durability are critical. These printers have the most flexibility when it comes to speed, label quantity, and type of media. They are constructed to work in harsher environments than the average office.

3. Portable barcode printers where your needs are to print receipts at a customer site, prescriptions, or other types of forms. These portable printers sometimes use wireless connectivity, especially when used for credit card processing applications. A few of the more popular models work with portable Palm devices.

Most barcode printers use thermal direct or thermal transfer. In most cases, you want to use thermal transfer because thermal direct paper is sensitive to light and will deteriorate in a few days. It is used mainly for mail labels. The thermal transfer process uses a ribbon that is poked with a hot pin to transfer the ink to the label, making a very reliable label.

Many dedicated barcode printers come with WYSIWYG label design and printing software. For some, this is the best way to start. But you need to do a full evaluation of your needs to make sure you are getting what you need.

If you have a bigger organization you will probably need a professional label design software solution that works with many types of printers and computers, and integrates well with your other applications.

You also need to consider if you want to print barcode fonts, or bitmaps. Which you decide upon will determine what kind of software you buy; the interfacing requirements would follow. The decision as to font or graphic is based on quality and flexibility. Good quality barcode fonts give you the best print quality, flexibility and control. They are easy to use, faster to print, and produce higher quality printed images. They also give you flexibility in heterogeneous computing environments. But, they may not be suitable for your situation if you are designing or printing barcode labels using a web application or browser. This is because the fonts have to be located on the local computer. However, solutions to this problem do exist.

In the end, putting together a bar coding system is relatively easy, but it does require careful planning. We recommend having a barcode coordinator and process in place to document all your barcode processes so others can step in. The coordinator will determine the requirements, analyze, design, and implement the barcode system. This is a fulltime effort that obviously requires a dedicated person or small team, depending on the complexity of the transition.

Vaughn Balchunas writes about technology in business, with emphasis on business processes, automation, and automated data collection. You can read more about the different types of bar codes and wireless barcode printers available for your business at http://barcodegeek.com

An Evaluation Of 2d Barcodes In Document Processing Applications

Introduction

Many documents that are to be electronically processed contain barcodes to encode important information that is extracted via barcode decode software. There are a number of issues that should be considered when choosing a barcode symbology. The largest distinguishing characteristic to be considered is whether a linear (1D) or 2 Dimensional (2D) symbology is to be employed. 1D symbologies, as the name implies, typically consist of width modulated bars and spaces that encode the user information. There is no information contained in the vertical dimension of a 1D symbol. 2D symbologies encode information in both dimensions of the symbol and as a result, have much higher data density. 2D symbols typically use a regular grid of possible cell positions, where a cell is either black or white.

This article will focus on the use of 2D symbols in document processing applications because of the significant data density advantage of 2D symbols over 1D symbols. In particular, we will compare the relative merits of three popular public domain 2D symbologies: Data Matrix, QR Code and Micro QR Code. Following a brief overview of each symbology, we will compare them based on their data density, error correction, and relative processing speed.

Data Matrix

Data Matrix symbols use a regular array of square cells ranging in size from a 10 by 10 grid up to a 144 by 144 grid. A 1 cell quiet zone is required around the entire symbol. In addition, rectangular sizes are also available. Each symbol consists of a fixed “L” pattern that is used for finding along with a clock track along the opposite sides of the “L”. In addition, there are internal clock tracks for larger Data Matrix. These fixed locations do not encode any information. They are present to identify the symbol as a Data Matrix and to aid the decode software. The remaining grid locations contain either a black or white squares depending on the information to be encoded.

QR Code

QR Code symbols also employ a regular array of square cells ranging in size from a 21 by 21 grid up to a 177 by 177 grid. A 4 cell quiet zone is required around the entire symbol. To aid finding, QR Code symbols contain 3 finder patterns at 3 of the 4 corners. In addition, there are internal alignment patterns, clock patterns, as well as format information on larger symbols that gives the size of the code.

For data applications that require smaller amounts of data, there is a derivative version of QR Code called Micro QR Code which can encode up to 35 numeric digits in less space than a corresponding QR Code. It has 4 different square sizes: 11 by 11, 13 by 13, 15 by 15 and 17 x 17. Each size requires a 2 cell quiet zone around the entire symbol. It contains only 1 finder pattern, with limited clock pattern and format information.

Data Density and Error Correction

Data Matrix has a clear data density advantage over QR Code. This is especially true for smaller amounts of user data. This is due to the fact that it has fewer fixed cell locations. It does not devote as much space for finder patterns, and contains no format information. Micro QR Code was designed to address the data density issue and is comparable in size to the Data Matrix for this data content.

All 3 types of symbols use Reed Solomon error correction to detect and correct errors due to symbol damage or imaging issues. The number of detectable and correctable errors is determined by the number of extra error correction codewords included in the symbol that are above and beyond the codewords used to encode the data.

The data capacity of a given size symbol is a function of the amount of error correction overhead as well as the data itself. Data Matrix uses a fixed level of error correction that is not selectable by the user. The percentage of error correction codeword overhead ranges from 62.5% for the smallest symbol down to 28% for larger symbols. By contrast, QR Code has 4 different levels of error correction that allow an approximate recovery capacity of 7%, 15%, 25% or 30%. Micro QR Code varies the choices of the amount of error correction for each of the 4 allowable sizes. The smallest only allows error detection, while the largest allows up to 25% recovery capacity.

The amount and type of user data will dictate the size of the symbol that is necessary. In addition, for QR Code and Micro QR Code, the amount of error correction used will factor into the size as well. The table below summarizes the relative size and error correction capacities of the 3 symbols shown above.

Symbology -- Relative Size (with Quiet Zone) / Error Correction Overhead (%) / Maximum Correctable Errors

Data Matrix -- 1.00 / 58.3 / 3

QR Code -- 3.70 / 65.3 / 8

Micro QR Code -- 1.33 / 50.0 / 1

The choice of the amount of error correction used in QR Code and Micro QR Code is application dependent. In situations where size is an issue, one may be tempted to reduce the amount of error correction overhead. This may reduce the overall read rate of the symbol if the barcode may be damaged or if the imaging environment makes it more difficult to get “ideal” images. Barcodes on soft packages that curve the symbol, as well as shiny tape over the symbol that can cause specular reflection back to the camera are examples of how codes may be damaged. In general, if space permits, for optimum read rates, one should normally choose the maximum allowable error correction capacity.

Relative Processing Speed

In real time applications where the time to decode an image is important, one must also compare the symbologies on how quickly they can be decoded. The most time consuming part of decoding a barcode within a large and busy image is generally finding the symbol. The more unique the finder pattern within a barcode symbol, the easier it is to locate within a busy image. This reduces processing time. Conversely, if a barcode symbology does not provide a unique finder pattern, more time will be spent looking for it.

QR Code and Micro QR code have a significant advantage over Data Matrix because of the unique finder patterns within the symbols. QR Code is the best of the 3 choices because it includes 3 finder patterns, each being able to be used to find the symbol. Data Matrix has the “L” finder pattern and fixed clock lines. Unfortunately, these are not terribly unique patterns with forms where many areas of text are surrounded by boxes. In addition, both QR (Version 7 and above) and Micro QR Codes have format information within the symbol to let you know the size of the symbol and to confirm you are on a real symbol. Data Matrix does not contain explicit format data, providing only a clock track on the opposite sides of the symbol from the “L” corner.

A busy form was scanned at 200 DPI, and a single instance of the 3 barcode symbols was added to the image with each symbol using 25 mil cells. Then in 3 separate passes, Volo™, a barcode decode software toolkit from Omniplanar®, was used to decode each symbol. In each pass, only one symbology type was enabled. The table below summarizes how long it took Volo to issue the decode result and completely finish processing the image. Both QR Code and Micro QR decoding were 3 to 4 times faster than Data Matrix decoding. This is almost entirely due to the good finder pattern in the QR and Micro QR symbols.

Symbology -- Issue Time (msecs) / Total Time (msecs)
Data Matrix -- 30.8 / 74.5
QR Code -- 7.2 / 23.4
Micro QR Code -- 7.6 / 21.9

Summary

When deciding what 2D symbology type to use in document applications, one must consider data density, error correction and processing time. In applications where the size of the symbol must be kept to a minimum, both Data Matrix and Micro QR code are good choices. When processing speed is of primary importance, QR Code and Micro QR Code are both better choices than Data Matrix given their good finder patterns. In applications when both symbol size and processing speed are important, Micro QR Code is the best choice. However the largest possible Micro QR Code can only store 35 numeric digits with the minimum error correction (maximum of 3 errors). At the maximum error correction level, the data capacity drops to 21 numeric digits (maximum of 7 errors).

With over 17 years of experience in the bar code industry, Bob Dunphy has been Principal Engineer at Omniplanar, Inc since its inception. He has designed numerous CCD camera systems as well as high speed processing platforms.

3 Super Advantages Of Barcoding And Barcode Scanners

The use of barcoding and barcode scanners has transformed operational efficiencies of a phenomenal number of businesses both large and small. Simple yet effective, the barcode as an invention has made itself indispensable purely by the multi-faceted advantages that its offers to the user across the entire barcoding spectrum – from generating barcodes through customizable barcode generating software right up to sophisticated barcode scanners and barcode readers. Here we present to you the killer advantages of these marvelous devices.

Super Advantage 1: Speed and Accuracy – A really good data entry operator would be able to enter a 12 digit number (like product code for example) on his keypad in approximately 4-5 seconds, but the average would be more like 7 seconds. The same operation if performed with a barcode scanner would take just one flick of the wrist, less than a second. The speed difference is evident – the use of the barcodes is unmatched in its ability to plough through large volumes of these operations effortlessly. While a data entry operator might make keyboard errors when he types in data, the chances of a barcode reader giving wrong output is practically nonexistent tending almost to zero. For all practical purposes, accuracy is exact, every time the barcode reader makes its flowing motion over the barcode.

Super Advantage 2: Implementation Ease – You decide you want to start using barcodes for your products but are worried that you have never done it before? Fear not, for in 10-20 minutes of your time that scenario will get reversed. The use of barcode readers is almost childishly simple with no prerequisite for usage. Not only can anybody do it, but they can do it quickly as well for the learning curve of using barcodes is extremely steep and short.

Super Advantage 3: Bang for the buck – If you could capture information quickly and accurately, it could only mean a tighter supply chain and well-knit business processes based on this information. With superior information, you can take superior business decisions that increase shareholder value. Imagine what disastrous consequences incorrect information could have on your business! A vast collection of barcodes and barcode scanner usage data has revealed that the investment made in this technology pays back in as short a period as 6 to 10 months – way faster than most modern technologies that attempt to improve the way we conduct our business. Thus the barcode genre is one where the customer truly gets good value for money and high return on investment.

One can never get enough of the importance and advantages of barcodes and barcode scanners. It now only remains for you to start scouring the market for various barcoding solutions to unlock the immense savings and gains that are lying in wait for your business! Go ahead and barcode your business growth in to the future!

Discover how to get the most bang for your buck! Visit our site at Best Barcode Scanners for more such practical advice, tips and information.

Bar Codes

 

Norman Woodland, a 27-year-old graduate student at Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia developed the first code system that automatically read product information during checkout. Woodland and his friend Silver were awarded a patent for their application titled Classifying Apparatus and Method on October 7, 1952. Many experts are of the view that the Woodland and Silver bar code was the basis of what would soon become a global phenomenon.

In the beginning, barcodes were developed to store data in the spacing of printed parallel lines. The idea was to help grocery stores speed up the checkout process and keep better track of the inventory. However, the system soon picked up and became a success story.

Barcodes form the basis of identification in almost all types of businesses in the modern world. Barcodes are variously called as Universal Product Codes or UPCs. These are machine-readable codes and come in strips, generally comprising of a series of short black lines of varied thickness. These codes are read by optical scanners called barcode readers or scanned from an image by special software. A laser reader or scanner can translate the barcodes into the corresponding alpha-numeric digits, which are used to uniquely identify a piece of property. Barcodes are used world over to implement Auto ID Data Capture (AIDC) systems that improve the speed and accuracy of computer data entry.

At present, we have codes in several patterns of dots, concentric circles and hidden in images. Barcodes are provided by a body called Uniform Code Council (UCC). A manufacturer has to apply to the UCC for permission to enter the UPC system. An annual fee is charged for the service. In return, the UCC issues the manufacturer a six-digit manufacturer identification number. The manufacturer identification number is part of a standard 12-digit bar code.

Bar coding standards have brought about great precision, technical refinement and uniformity in the way business is conducted in the world. Throughout the world, most of the data entry is done much more quickly. All data is collected in real time. Bar codes have also led to the elimination of manual data entry and retrieval system. The coding has completely streamlined products, making the most effective use of human and physical resources.

Bar Code Labels provides detailed information about bar code labels, bar code label printers, bar code label software, bar code label makers and more. Bar Code Labels is the sister site of Bar Code Software.

Bar Code Labels Serve a Multitude of Practical Business Uses Today

As technology has advanced so has the use of bar code technology in many industries here in the United States. Businesses from shipping services to local hospitals are using bar codes to track everything from packages to patients. Bar codes are essential where accessing, testing, or research functions are happening. Bar code adhesive labels can help your business to more accurately track items without the worry of human error.

Most all shipping service companies and the United States Postal Service use bar codes on all of their packages for the most efficient route and tracking information. Most likely, you will find a adhesive bar code label on any package you receive through these shipping services.

One of the fastest growing sectors to use bar code labels in their daily business is healthcare. Hospital admissions offices use bar codes on patient ID wristbands. The bar code label wristbands help reduce patient processing time hospital-wide and decrease the possibility of misreading and miskeying information about the patient. Scanning this wristband before conducting any laboratory testing, the hospital can be assured they have the correct patient and information, thus reducing their chances of error and potential liability.

The emergency department is a key place where hospitals are using bar codes. Because emergency departments see such a high volume of patients, they are a prime place for the use of bar coded ID wristbands. Any emergency room is a very fast-paced environment where costly and potentially deadly mistakes can occur. With the use of bar coded wristbands, this liability can be significantly reduced.

It is not just the healthcare industry that uses bar code labels in their daily operations. Many businesses use them for asset and package tracking as well. If your business needs improvement in its level of efficiency, productivity, and cost savings, bar code labeling can be just what you need.

Any successful bar code system implementation requires you to have bar code labels which stick when they should, come off when you need them to, and are easily readable when you scan them. Bar code labels come in a variety of adhesive label strengths and sizes to meet any business need you might have. Because you want your bar code labels to meet you own specific business needs, you will want to have your labels professionally printed by a company with years of experience printing the various kinds of labels. They can advise you about the different labels available and determine which meets your needs the best.

If your business manufactures items for retail sale, you will want to contact the Uniform Code Council, and obtain your unique UPC code from them. There web site URL is www.UC-Council.org. This unique UPC code will then be the first six digits on all UPC codes of your product labels.

As you can see, bar code labels serve a multitude of business needs in just about any business sector today. You will find a bar code system to be a big asset to your business when implemented correctly.

Bar code labels serve a multitude of practical business uses today. To decide which bar code labels fit your needs best, contact A B B Labels online at http://www.abblabels.com for more information and to get a personalized quote. A B B Labels is the single source for all your barcoding needs.

Bar Code Labels Provide Greater Customer Service

 

Bar code labels provide greater customer service for many reasons. One of the primary reasons is that these labels can save you so much time in processing orders and assisting customers with checkout. You can use the handy product labels as adhesive labels, which make it easy to add bar code labels to your current inventory.

Did you know that you can save a great deal of time determining your inventory with bar code labels? Using these labels will enable you to quickly determine how much inventory that you have on the shelf. Each time that a product is purchased, it can be automatically deducted from the current inventory numbers. This saves you valuable time that you can then utilize for greater customer service.

Another advantage to these product labels is being able to determine what item variation was purchased and is now available. For example, if a customer purchases a bottle of vanilla scented shampoo and bottle of lavender scented shampoo from the same brand, you will know specifically which scents were sold instead of sorting the product strictly by the brand name.

Bar code labels are terrific for using as product labels for products such as DVDs, CDs, VHS tapes and other electronic media. With the adhesive labels, it is easy to have product labels that will provide quality control and accurate inventory for your items. You can assign a specific bar code for each individual product type and a different code for specific brands, genres or collections.

Another great use for product labels and adhesive labels is for promotional purposes. You can order blank labels that can be converted to use as bumper stickers or even put on the sales receipts. The top quality vinyl material of these labels is great for promoting your business or your specific products.

Want to customize your product labels? There are large number of choices for sizes, material type and what you want type-set on your labels. You can even select your bar code label numbers and have them customized to a specific size to fit your product line and current inventory numbering system.

Switching over to the bar code labels has never been made simpler for you and your company. Bar code labels, product labels and adhesive labels can be customized by the type of printing that you want done. They are offered in thermal transfer, laser, and direct thermal and even dot matrix. This makes it possible for you to customize and tailor these labels to your specific needs and to your wallet.

With so many different products available today, it is imperative to have a handy system in place for keeping track of your inventory, labeling your products and making it easy for your customers to purchase items. Being able to properly label and to promote your business will enable you to spend more time focusing on the specific needs of your clients.

You can provide better customer service because you have more time to focus on your customers. Clear labels let them know what the product is, pricing and any additional information that you want to include. These specialized labels make inventory and check-out much easier.

For example, if a customer calls and wants to know if a particular product is available, you can simply put in the bar code number and tell them how many is available. You don't have to go to the shelf and see if you have that specific item available. If they want to know if you have DVDRs available in the 24 pack, you can just simply pull it up on the computer for the store inventory that was put together from the bar code labels instead of putting the customer on hold and making them wait while you go to the store aisle to find out if any are currently in stock.

Bar code labels can help streamline your business operations with a multitude of practical uses. To decide which bar code labels fit your needs best, visit A B B Labels online at http://www.abblabels.com to get a personalized quote. We are the single source for all your barcoding needs.

Bar Code Label Software

Bar code label software is used to print symbols on bar codes. This software can render a pattern of black stripes and dots, each unique from the other, which is used to print bar code stickers. The software prints intricate patterns for each product. The pattern may be several black lines of different thicknesses or it may be a crisscross arrangement of thick and thin black dots.

The software can also identify the product from the pattern. The pattern is fed into the bar code scanner, which transmits it to the computer. There the software can decode the pattern and identify the product.

Bar code label software is used to code and decode stickers on a wide array of products. Departmental store goods, warehouse products, photo IDs, driving licenses and more contain unique bar code labels produced by such software.

Bar code label software is virtually error-free. It can judge labels from the thickness of the lines and dots that by permutation can give several millions of different labels. The software can accurately identify the label from its wide database. The entire process of scanning the label and its decoding by the software takes just a couple of seconds. Hence, bar code label software is almost absolutely relied upon by institutes that retail a large number of goods every day. Such labels are generally foolproof and very difficult to duplicate.

Bar code label software is especially useful when keeping inventory in a large warehouse or a departmental store. This software can be linked with other database programs in order to get a proper census of all the goods or certificates that have been coded or decoded. Using bar code label software to keep inventory of items saves a lot of time and manpower. To maintain a huge inventory, a large workforce is required. Hence, using bar code software is a simpler solution employed by retailers and warehouse owners.

Another important aspect of the utilization of bar code label software is the standardization it creates. Each product gets its own bar code, which remains a standard in all shops and retail outlets throughout the country. Computers of retailers linked to the manufacturer’s computers can provide a minute-to-minute progress of items as they are being sold.

Bar Code Labels provides detailed information about bar code labels, bar code label printers, bar code label software, bar code label makers and more. Bar Code Labels is the sister site of Bar Code Software.

Bar Code Scanners

Barcode Scanners are hand-held or stationary devices used to read information contained in a barcode. These devices are connected to a computer through any type of port. Scanners cannot do calculations; they only capture the barcode into letters or numbers. Information, once fed into a computer is processed by the computer’s software. A barcode scanner consists of a code reader and decoder. The reader throws light on a barcode and measures the amount of light that is reflected back by the barcode. This light energy is converted into electrical energy by a scanner. The electrical energy in turn is changed into data in the computer.

Barcode scanners are available in many different varieties. They can be hand held and hands free, wearable, rugged, scan engines, laser or digital. Pen-wand scanners are perhaps the simplest types of such devices. They have to be kept in direct contact with the barcode and held at a precise angle. A pen-wand scanner is moved over the bar to read it. General purpose scanners are generally used at checkout counters and hospitals and are also used to process identification documents. Certain other kinds of scanners, like rugged scanners, are generally used in harsh or extreme conditions.

Another major distinction of barcode scanners is that of an image scanner and a laser scanner. A camera reader is embedded in an image scanner. The camera captures the barcode images, which are then processed by sophisticated image techniques to decode the barcode. An image scanner can read a barcode from four to ten inches away. Laser scanners use lenses to read the codes. Laser scanners enjoy the advantage of reading the bar even from a distance of 24 inches. Moreover a laser scanner can be positioned at any angle to read a barcode. With the advancement of technology, modern laser scanners can read the barcodes with ease from a distance of 30 feet.

Bar Code Labels provides detailed information about bar code labels, bar code label printers, bar code label software, bar code label makers and more. Bar Code Labels is the sister site of Bar Code Software.

Barcode Scanner - How Does it Work

Barcodes have become a part of our lives. They are on everything from auto parts to your groceries. A barcode is the way things can be traced by a computer. Barcodes and automatic ID systems are the most effective asset a business could have. A barcode is a message that is coded by the length and width of the bars and spaces that are printed in pattern.

They use the binary code and is essentially just bars and spaces representing ones or zeros. Barcodes are read by sweeping a spot of light over the printed barcode symbol. The light is called a barcode scanner and it will ring the item up or display some information about the product, a barcode with start with a white space and then alternative black and white spaces until needed with a bar. The heights of the bars are simply a technique to try to keep the information within the bar code area. The longer the information that is needed to be coded, the longer the barcode will be.

The decoder is the most important component of the barcode scanner and it accepts about 33-200 scans per scanning rate to be able to read error free. An automatic discrimination feature on the scanner means that it will pick out what kind of code that it is scanning. In grocery stores you will find that almost every thing as a UPC code. It will read the UPC code or the universal price code and then ring it into your total. There are other parts of the scanner that is as equally important, but what is the purpose of the Barcode Scanner?

The purpose of a bar code scanner is the fact that it needs to read a hidden message that is coded with the white spaces and black bars and it is vital information. Practically everything will scan into a computer now since out world has been so technologically advanced. Barcodes have also made our world easier to function within.

Because of barcodes we don’t have to wait in line for everything to be typed up, all you do is scan and go. Everyone who is anyone can use a barcode scanner and it is so easy to learn. It doesn’t take a genius to learn how to work the scanner and you don’t need a degree. In fact, most of the people who are employed at business that use scanners are under the age of 25 or with the extent of a high school education. Bar code scanners are very easily to operate and they are very helpful when it comes to large orders or such because they save so much time. Barcode scanners are just an easy way to find out information.

Read more about Barcode Scanners on http://www.barcode-scanner.info

Your Face is a Barcode

Themes from this article:

1. A digital image of a person's face, can be matched against a database of other images.
2. The potential will exist to track the movements of everyone in a country.
3. Automatic face recognition is now becoming practical.
4. Face recognition systems in public places, is a matter for serious concen.
5. The shock value of the horrific events on September 11 could make many people opposed to excessive security much more tolerant of its implementation.
6. Information is collected and transferred without Knolouge or permission from the subjects.
7. Abuse of face recognition may generate additional crimes.
8. The question is that of proportion, there must be a balance between liberty and control.

Points inferred indirectly:

1. And everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned the best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity.
2. Technology is intrinsically neutral, how it is used determines if it is a force for good or evil.
3. The central principle of our culture should be that which makes ours a free democratic society.
4. One can extrapolate from historical events such as the unclear tests in 1947, that technologies can not be dis-invented or confined to one use.
5. Data protection Act may apply, providing at least some basic rights, (no other statutory right in English law to personal privacy).
6. Technology can make surveillance cheaper through automation a some processes.
7. Freedom is only the perception of being autonomous.
8. A society can only be considered free where the goverment forces do not have absolute power over the general populace.
9. Democracy is in part based on the principles that groups can develop views in insolation from goverment.

Summary:

The main points made in an article:
Security system impresses US officials, a special report on the terrorism crisis by Stuart Millar published in the Guardian on Tuesday September 25 are summarised as follows:

American authorities are committed to deploying a relatively new combination of software and surveillance technologies in response to the attacks of September 11th as part of an airport security review.

The system under consideration, known as FaceIt, is designed to identify known suspects, through comparison of a person's face against a database of facial images, it does not require the cooperation of the subject, and may not even generate irrefutable evidence in adverse conditions, such as those that exist in many airports, which would increase the risk of false identifications.

This development is being driven by political interests and could be implemented on mass, to form an equivalent to the British ring of steel, supposedly for our safety and protection to help law enforcement track known subjects. But once in place it's use will invariably be extended over time to infringe upon the populous without our consent or knowledge.

The question is that of proportion there must be a balance between liberty and control. It should be noted that the current increase in the number of youths waring hoods is possibly a direct result of the introduction of CCTV systems.

Abstract:

The populace of an informed society would generally resist even the proposal of any potentially repressive technology such as the FaceIt facial recognition system, with the capacity to indiscriminately report on the movements of any subject, especially when these technological developments are being driven by political interests.

However such fears are currently being circumvented by the stronger feelings of national insecurity, which are also causing fundamental adjustments in political reasoning of the United States authorities whom are by implication encouraging development of technologies previously believed to be technically and socially unjustifiable.

The United States goverment:

Is committed to deploying a derivation of traditional surveillance technology, in response to a review of airport security in lite of the attacks of September 11th, as a measure to help prevent simular incidents in the future. This may be a futile gesture as they are looking at technology to identify known suspects, the problem is that this is not very useful as it is the unknown terrorists that the authorities need to be conce ed about.

Technology:

This is a relatively new combination of software and surveillance technologies, the basic components of the FaceIt system under consideration have been about for years, the system is designed to identify known people in public, this could be implemented to form an equivalent to the British ring of steel and notwithstanding a highly unlikely series of events resulting in absolute control of this type of technology, invariably it will find other uses. For example, marketing research is frequently carried out via the use of surveys. It would be a trivial matter to use such a powerful security system to generate statistical data for analysing consumer trends.

This technology may be able to capture and analyse an image of your face, identify you from a see of people, read your face and even infer things from your body language, but the context outside the view of the cameras and the essence of the moment will be lost forever.

Effectiveness:

The efficiency of any technology is a function of firstly its inherent advantages over traditional methods and secondly whether its use would solve more problems than it would create.

Automation of surveillance operations may reduce part of the administration required, through effective communications and more centralised control, than is possible with human surveillance. The implication being that reduction in the time necessary to complete inconsequential tasks (moving paper around) allows more effective use of the staff resources.

However most law enforcement technologies, including standard CCTV security cameras are only effective with the cooperation of the people, these systems are often useless against those with criminal intent, and this technology does not generate irrefutable evidence in adverse conditions, such as those that exist in many airports, which would increase the risk of false identifications. The problem is that false identification by a person does not involve the implied reputation of technological accuracy.

Freedom of actions:

Absolute freedom would require the absence of any controls, legal of otherwise, this would amount to anarchy. Thus despite being free to do as we peace, we would, ironically, not have the ability to act upon our pleasure, as our lives would be consumed with the nauseate of saying alive! This is in direct contrast with what we are able to accomplish with in the restrictions of society, as a result of the opportunities such restriction creates.

Implications:

The implications of expediency adopting such systems are numerous fighting terrorism notwithstanding, there are many as yet unresolved questions as to the uses of a system designed to infringe upon the populous without the consent or knowledge of these people whose faces are captured. As logs as there are successive gove ments, that take control and change policies, the uses of such tools will also be continually changing.

The problems arise when one considers the wider effects that unwanted surveillance may have, fore example democracy is in part based on the principle that groups can develop views in insolation from goverment.

One can extrapolate from historical events such as the development of Atomic weapons, to save thousands on both sides by ending the second would war without invading Japan The plans for which were stolen be the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which started a sequence of events that untimely ended in the current situation where several minor nation have the ability to start a chain reaction that would literary destroy the world.

Data protection laws:

The American people have built into there laws safeguards that could reasonable be used to help prevent the uncontrolled spread of privative systems. We in direct contrast have no rights built rights to protect the privacy of information apart from those set into the data protection legislation which maybe a futile gesture as there are get out glasses for anything evan remotely related to law enforcement.

Innocent Majority:

Should this severance technology be implemented anywhere, the unique situation will be created where information will be collected and processed without the individual's knowledge and will be used without the individual having consent. The Data protection Act may apply, providing at least some basic rights, (no other statutory right in English law to personal privacy exists).

Ethical Dilemmas:

In a stable society the freedom of the individual can not be absolute, there must be a balance between liberty and control. It is conceivable that there would be no civilised society without a govement able to curtail liberty to a reasonable degree. The question is that of proportion technology can be use as a tool for control, however over use of such technologies implies oppression.

Any technology can effect a society in significant ways. Fore example increasingly travail bits of data are collected, transferred precessed and used without the individual's knowledge, this is a situation in which people can be completely manipulated by technology and it has long been the case that legal decisions lag behind technical developments.

Conclusions:

There is an old Buddhist proverb that states "To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven; the same key opens the gates of hell". Words of wisdom and of waing as within computerisation lies such a key.

The implication is that nearly everything has some kind of cost to it, new technologies are not created instantaneously, so the consequences of such new systems are also not instantaneously realised, if we choose to ignore certain circumstances in fever of expedient action, in the end, the full implications will be realised, unfortunately too late.

As implied above, the events of September 11th are important, these events have almost certainly changed things forever. The question is that of proportion, this is what will determine whether the have won or not. Especially when these systems are idolised and become more important then the humans that they exist to serve, we know from history that this sequence of events inevitably fall back upon and destroy its makers in the end. Such subject have as yet been sadly lacking in our studies thus.

Technology is intrinsically neutral, how it is used determines if it is a force for good or evil, if a technology offers savings to one segment of society, some cost may be exacted ageist another. The Bible will teach us that we are to count the !

cost of our commitments. Is there a price tag for your soul? Jesus asks the most profound question "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul in hell forever" Jesus is asking if we have really thought about costs; spiritual and material. (Jesus said, Matthew 16:26).

As long as we can justify the cost in terms of how it allows us it feel safer, then we are free because we believe the gove ment is curtailing our liberty to allow a better quality of life. However, if as a society we accept invasive methods of protection then we surrender a little more freedom to choose how to five as we see fit and not as other would dictate. This includes the right to life without others watching our every move.

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