On December 16, 2023 an article related to the persistent challenges at land and sea borders and the groundbreaking solutions ODYSSEUS proposes to facilitate the border cross experience was published in the Romanian magazine Stiinta & Tehnica.
The article was written by Monica Florea, Project coordinator and Dana Oniga, Project Manager of ODYSSEUS from SIMAVI.
“ODYSSEUS – WHY CROSSING BORDERS WILL NO LONGER BE AN ODYSSEY FROM 2025”
The World Economic Forum has estimated that the number of transnational trips will increase by 50% in the coming years, compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the number to 1.8 billion by 2030.
Eurostat reported that in 2015, EU residents primarily used air travel (53%), followed by car travel (31%), bus travel (6%), waterways (5%), rail travel (4%), and other means of transportation (1%) for trips outside the country’s borders.
Delays and queues frequently occur when individuals cross both land and sea borders, placing an extra burden on border authorities and causing frustration among citizens.
“ODYSSEUS – Unobtrusive Technologies for Secure and Seamless Border Crossing for Travel Facilitation” is an innovative EU project, funded under the call HORIZON-CL3-2021-BM-01-03. The primary goal of this project is to enhance border controls, making cross-border travel easier and improving the experience of passengers and border authorities staff through the use of smart digital solutions.
Imagination & Vision, a Romanian IT software company, is coordinating the project, which involves fourteen partners from both EU and non-EU countries across Europe.
Aim of the ODYSSEUS project:
- Design and develop an integrated platform to enable seamless border crossing in a highly secure manner. The platform will assist border authorities with automated, reliable, and accurate customs checks;
- The identification and control capabilities of border authorities will be enhanced through the implementation of robust and reliable identity verification mechanisms. This will be achieved by introducing a mobile (virtual) EU passport protected by continuous behavioural authentication;
- Enables border control without impeding the flow of cargo and vehicles, using secure, discreet, and portable screening technology based on X-ray backscatter, drone-assisted image processing, and AI data analysis;
- The effectiveness of the ODYSSEUS platform will be validated by testing it in real environments. This will be done in two different landscapes and various operational environments, such as inside a train, on the road, and on board a ship in a port area;
- It facilitates the rapid adoption of ODYSSEUS innovations by relevant security stakeholders through broad communication, scientific dissemination, and targeted commercial exploitation activities. Additionally, the project will contribute to relevant standards bodies.
ODYSSEUS integrates existing European knowledge and innovations to generate leading solutions for borders and customs, using a combination of scanning technologies, traveler identification tools, advanced interfaces, AI (artificial intelligence) and X-ray technologies, with a focus especially on trade in goods and border crossing protection.
The project partners are developing technologies in addition to the ODYSSEUS platform that will be available to border authorities:
- Seamless identity verification to be implemented at border crossings;
- A digital and virtual passport to be used to facilitate this process;
- Continuous behavioural authentication that can be achieved through the use of artificial intelligence;
- Non-obtrusive and safe X-ray technologies that can be used for vehicle scanning;
- Assisted vehicle scanning can be achieved through the use of thermal and high-resolution cameras, as well as a decision support system and artificial intelligence. These measures will increase privacy and trust.
he Romanian IT software company Software Imagination & Vision (SIMAVI) coordinates all partner activities to implement the project and increase the security of the European Union’s land and sea borders.
Monica Florea, Project Coordinator from the Romanian company SIMAVI, stated for Science & Technology magazine that ”SIMAVI is leading the integration of the ODYSSEUS platform. The platform interconnects all the technologies developed in the project and makes reports and visual alerts available to border authorities through an easy-to-use interface”.
The ODYSSEUS platform will undergo testing and validation in three different environments: road, sea, and rail. The operational scenarios will include legal border crossings, illicit trafficking of goods, materials, explosives, or drugs, identity fraud, and terrorist activities.
“Compliance with ethical standards imposed by the European Commission and the new legislation in preparation in the field of Artificial Intelligence is another important aspect of the ODYSSEUS project. Specifically, informing the end user about the project’s activities of this nature“, stated Dana Oniga, Project Manager at SIMAVI.
By 2025, if ODYSSEUS technologies are adopted, we can expect reduced costs for border authorities and citizens, increased detection capabilities, and reduced time for vehicle, luggage, or cargo control. Fact: traditional inspection methods currently take an average of 10-20 minutes for passenger cars and 30-60 minutes for heavy vehicles like trucks and buses.
The ODYSSEUS project aims to enhance the border crossing experience for both travellers and border authority staff, while also increasing the security of the EU’s land and sea borders. It will maintain the monitoring of movements across the EU’s external land and water borders, support the Schengen area, reduce illegal trafficking of persons and goods, and protect the fundamental rights of travellers.
The original article can be found here : https://stiintasitehnica.com/odysseus-de-ce-trecerea-granitelor-nu-va-mai-fi-o-odisee-din-2025/
