Portable Identification Card Systems (AEL reference number 04AP-05-CRED)

Portable identification card systems are commonly used at incident scenes

requiring a multiagency response and a unique incident identification card for

personnel or the capability to read existing cards to ensure personnel

accountability. They are also used to support special event planning, manage

volunteers, and identify and track individuals at shelters or other facilities

during or following a disaster (e.g., victims, patients, evacuees). These

systems include software applications and hardware for reading and creating

identification cards.

To provide emergency responders with information on currently available

portable identification card systems, the Eastern Kentucky University (EKU)

Justice and Safety Center (JSC) conducted a comparative assessment of these

systems for the System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders

(SAVER) Program in June 2011. Detailed findings are provided in the

Portable Identification Card Systems Assessment Report, which is available by

request at https://www.rkb.us/saver.

Assessment Methodology

Prior to the assessment, eight responders were chosen from various

jurisdictions to participate in a focus group. Participants possessed strong

backgrounds in emergency management, fire services, information technology,

law enforcement, and public health. The group identified evaluation criteria

and recommended product selection criteria and possible scenarios for

assessment.

After identifying evaluation criteria, the focus group assigned each criterion to

one of five SAVER categories, and then assigned a weight for its level of

importance. Once the criteria were weighted, the five SAVER categories were

assigned a percentage value to represent the level of each category’s

importance relative to the other categories.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established the System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) Program to assist emergency

responders making procurement decisions.

Located within the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) of DHS, the SAVER Program conducts objective assessments and validations on commercial equipment and systems, and provides those results along with other relevant equipment information to the emergency response community in an operationally useful form. SAVER provides information on equipment that falls within the categories listed in the

DHS Authorized Equipment List (AEL).

The SAVER Program is supported by a network of technical agents who perform assessment and validation activities. Further, SAVER focuses primarily on two main questions for the emergency responder community: “What equipment is

available?” and “How does it perform?”

For more information on this and other technologies, contact the SAVER Program

Support Office.

RKB/SAVER Telephone: 877-336-2752 E-mail: saver@dhs.gov

Website: https://www.rkb.us/saver

Reference herein to any specific commercial products, processes, or services by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Government. Neither the U.S. Government nor any of its employees make any warranty, expressed or implied, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose for any specific commercial product, process, or service referenced herein.

SummaryAugust 2012 System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER)

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Based on focus group recommendations, market research,

and system availability, the following systems were

selected for assessment:

● Photo ID & interTRAX® Suite, Salamander

Technologies Inc.; and

● Mobile Command Case 100, Elliot Data

Systems Inc.

Six responders served as evaluators for this assessment

and had at least 8 years of experience in emergency

management, fire services, information technology, law

enforcement, or public health.

During the assessment, evaluators rated the systems

based on evaluation criteria established by the focus

group. The assessment was separated into two phases:

the specification assessment and the operational

assessment. Evaluators assessed the systems based on

vendor-provided information during the specification

assessment. Hands-on experience with the systems

served as the basis for the operational assessment.

Assessment Results

The overall assessment scores for the two systems were nearly identical. Table 1 displays the composite

assessment scores as well as the category scores for each portable identification card system. Higher scores

indicate a higher rating by evaluators. The most and least favorable features of each system, as identified by

evaluators, are listed in table 2. To view how each system scored against the evaluation criteria assigned to the

SAVER categories, see table 3. Table 4 lists system specifications organized by component: card printer, card

reader, camera and computer, and overall system.

From a purchasing perspective, evaluators recognized that most systems can be customized by the end user,

allowing them to swap less desirable capabilities for more desirable ones, which they viewed as a strength.

Evaluators also recognized a lack of consensus at the national level for various personnel management

practices, which may affect an agency’s preference for one system over another. For instance, agencies may

prefer to maintain responders’ credentials on a computer system rather than on the identification card itself, a

model that is supported by the Mobile Command Case 100. Conversely, agencies may prefer to store

responders’ credentials on the identification card, a model that is supported by the Photo ID & interTRAX

Suite. Advantages and disadvantages associated with these models are described in the assessment report as

well as the Portable Identification Card Systems Application Note.

Responder agencies that may be considering the purchase of a portable identification card system should review

the detailed findings in the Portable Identification Card Systems Assessment Report and carefully consider each

system’s overall capabilities and limitations in relation to their jurisdiction’s operational needs. All reports in

this series, as well as reports on other technologies, are available in the SAVER section of the Responder

Knowledge Base (RKB) website at https://www.rkb.us/saver.

SAVER Category Definitions

Affordability groups criteria related to life-cycle costs of a piece of equipment or system.

Capability groups criteria related to the power, capacity, or features available for a piece of equipment or system to perform or assist the responder in performing one or more relevant tasks.

Deployability groups criteria related to the movement, installation, or implementation of a piece of equipment or system by responders at the site of its intended use.

Maintainability groups criteria related to the maintenance and restoration of a piece of equipment or system to operational condition by responders.

Usability groups criteria related to the quality of the responders’ experience with the operational employment of a piece of equipment or system. This includes the relative ease of use, efficiency, and overall satisfaction of the responders with the equipment or system.

Table 1. Portable Identification Card System Assessment Results

System Composite

Score Affordability (10% Weighting)

Capability (25% Weighting)

Deployability (20% Weighting)

Maintainability (15% Weighting)

Usability (30% Weighting)

Photo ID & interTRAX® Suite 3.9 3.8 3.8 4.1 4.0 3.9

Mobile Command Case 100 3.8 4.1 4.0 4.0 3.5 3.4

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Table 2. Portable Identification Card System Key Findings

System Most Favorable Least Favorable

Photo ID & interTRAX® Suite Composite Score: 3.9

Use of 2D barcodes for storing data oncards and capability to read 1D and 2Dbarcodes

Intuitive badge creation software Ability and ease of creating assignments

on the handheld card readers System illumination and visibility

Organization of cables, data ports,and outlets

Limited personnel accountabilityactivities and tracking featureswithout purchase of additionalmodule

Number and size of the caseenclosures

Mobile Command Case 100 Composite Score: 3.8

Single ruggedized case enclosure with asingle power connection and preconfiguredwiring

Easily expanded (e.g., scalable) withadditional readers and software licenses

Intuitive user interface and datamanagement software

Large display monitor

Usability of personnel accountabilityand tracking features on the cardreaders

Wireless range of handheld cardreaders around buildings

System illumination and visibility

Table 3. Portable Identification Card System Criteria Ratings1

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Note:

1 Averaged criteria ratings for each assessed product are graphically represented by colored and shaded circles. Highest ratings are represented by full green circles. Circles with no shading may indicate that the feature was not applicable to the assessed system or available to users with the purchase of the standard system.

Table 3. Portable Identification Card System Criteria Ratings1 (Continued)

Table 4. Portable Identification Card System Specifications1

Specifications Photo ID & interTRAX® Suite Mobile Command Case 100

Card Printer

Make and model Fargo® DTC1000 Datacard® CP60

Printing barcodes Yes Yes

Printing in color Yes Yes

Printer speed Number of cards printed per minute/hour: 2/165 Number of cards printed per minute/hour: 3/180

Card security features

Cards with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology are provisioned with a security key that

prevents unauthorized reading or encoding

Laminate, ghost imaging, watermarks, backdrop removal, digital signature capture, ultraviolet printing,

and micro text

Cost per card

Printer ribbon: $180 Cost per card (polyvinyl chloride [PVC]/plastic): $0.11

($54 for a box of 500)

Printer ribbon: $185 Cost per card (PVC/plastic): $0.10 to $0.20

($50 to $100 for a box of 500 cards)

Card Reader

Make and model

Wireless (1D, 2D, images): Motorola Solutions Inc. MC75

Wired (1D, 2D, images): Symbol® DS6607 Wired (1D, 2D, magnetic stripes):

E-Seek Inc. Model 250

Wireless (1D, 2D): Opticon 8000 Wired (1D): Honeywell 3800

Wired (2D): Honeywell 1900 (optional)

Power charge maintenance Yes Information not provided

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Table 4. Portable Identification Card System Specifications1(Continued)

Specifications Photo ID & interTRAX® Suite Mobile Command Case 100

Camera and Computer

Computer make, model, and

specifications

Motorola Solutions Inc. ML910™ Processor speed: 1.66 Gigahertz (GHz)

Random Access Memory (RAM)/hard drive capacity: 3 Gigabyte (GB)/75 GB

Elliott Data Systems EDS7000 Processor speed: 2.0 GHz

RAM/hard drive capacity: 4 GB/160 GB

Camera make and model Microsoft LifeCam Studio for Business Video Associates Labs (VAL™) Camera (VALCam)

Autozoom

Data management software interTrax™ (version 3.5) (Modules: rapidTAG™,

Mobile ICS and EMS software, interTRAX reports) Emergency Event Manager Solution (version 7000)

Operating system Microsoft® Windows® 7 Professional Microsoft Windows 7 Professional

Access control Access to system may be protected via username and

password Different user accounts may be established with

specific access rights

Additional programs Additional vendor and third party software programs

can be installed on computer Additional vendor and third party software programs

can be installed on computer

Automatic data backups Not provided with system Automatic backups can be scheduled to be completed

during synchronization process

Export data

Extensible Markup Language (XML) System data can be shared through a centralized

database or a file export/import process

Comma Separated Values (CSV) and Excel (XLS) files Data can be transferred to an off-site server

Network independence Data management software does not require an active

Internet connection Data management software does not require an active

Internet connection

Automatic updates Provided via distributed media (compact disc [CD] or

thumb drive) Provided via Internet when initiated by the end user

Overall System

System cost Manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP):

$26,721 MSRP: $19,585

Leasing option Leasing options are available Leasing options are available

Vendor-provided training One day of training included with purchase

Additional training ranges from $2,800 to $5,200 Onsite training not included with purchase

Training cost range: $1,000 to $1,900

Vendor-provided installation Service is provided to end user if requested Service is provided to end user if requested

Ruggedized

System case (interTRAX reports): Pelican™ Hardigg™ iM2750 Storm Case™

System case (rapidTAG): Pelican Hardigg roto-molded shipping case (customized)

Case ingress protection (IP) rating: Information not provided

Card reader IP rating: 54 Laptop IP rating: 65

System case: Pelican case 1660 Case, card reader, and laptop IP ratings: Information

not provided

Warranty 24 months 12 months

Technical support Onscene operational support available 12 months

Operational temperature

Card reader and laptop: 14 degrees Fahrenheit (˚F) to 122˚F

Printer: 65˚F to 80˚F Information not provided

Storage temperature -30˚F to 150˚F Information not provided

Note:

1 Information was provided by manufacturers and has not been independently verified by the SAVER Program.