Face uphill – Newspaper Kommersant No. 206 (7407) dated 11/08/2022
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Russian ski resorts are beginning to equip a funicular fare payment system through facial biometrics. It should reduce the time in the queue, as well as prevent the transfer of plastic ski pass cards to third parties. The error of skipping free riders by biometrics can reach 15%, experts say. The first such solution has been implemented in Sheregesh, and resorts of the Caucasus are also interested in the system. But other market participants are treating it with caution: the problem of ski pass fraud is no longer as acute as it used to be, and is being solved with the help of systems that are less expensive and more familiar to operators.
VisionLabs, a developer of facial recognition systems, told Kommersant that the company is involved in the implementation of biometric systems for paying for lifts at Russian ski resorts. The first project was implemented at Sheregesh (Kemerovo region).
The solution was developed jointly with the DataKrat company and provides the passage of visitors using face biometrics – Face Pass. The developers claim that the new service recognizes a person even in full gear. “For visitors with a ski mask on their foreheads and a balaclava, there is only a 1% chance that the system will not be able to recognize them,” they note.
To use biometric fares, you need to download the app and connect Face Pass, upload face pictures and send them to the system. It will speed up the passage to the turnstiles to the lifts, and also eliminates the possibility of loss, theft or transfer to third parties of a plastic ski pass card, the developers expect.
The cost of implementing the system, explained Dmitry Markov, CEO of VisionLabs, is individual and varies depending on the characteristics of the ski facility. On average, the top manager specified, the implementation of a solution for a ski resort is 3 million rubles.
The company is already negotiating with other resorts, Mr. Markov says, without specifying the names. He added that the Face Pass system could potentially be installed in other sports facilities, in access control systems in industrial enterprises or in medical institutions.
Facial biometrics is now capable of recognizing a person even by a very limited set of biometric features, says Sergey Allenov, director of products at RecFaces (they make software based on facial biometrics). “This is a legacy of the coronavirus and mask regimes, thanks to which neural networks have learned to get by with little,” he says. The expert notes that in the case of a ski resort, the error can be at the level of 10-15%. However, he believes, users will issue an alternative type of pass if they are offered a tangible discount on a biometric ski pass compared to a plastic card.
Until recently, the main challenge for facial biometrics was that guests ride in helmets, masks, balaclavas, that is, the picture for reading is non-static, constantly changing, explained the deputy general director of Kavkaz.RF (Elbrus, Arkhyz, Veduchi) etc.) Nikolai Goncharov. “We are interested in how the claimed technology will prove itself in difficult mountain conditions. We are working on the possibility of using it in our resorts,” he said.
However, not all market participants consider biometrics even theoretically promising. Now, at most resorts, long-term ski passes already contain a photo – “guests must be prepared that their face under control can be compared with a picture,” says Sergey Romashkin, general director of the Dolphin tour operator. Against this background, the number of incidents with the transfer of ski passes, according to the expert, is already minimal.
Ski resorts are actively using Skidata and Axess digital solutions, the press service of the Krasnaya Polyana ski resort added. “They offer online solutions that provide increased security and protection against ticket forgery, as well as the ability to perform two-factor identification, identifying suspicious individuals, including in ski equipment, etc., sending them to operators for verification,” said there. Switching to new solutions, according to the resort representative, can be expensive, so the owners will continue to use what is currently integrated.
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