The largest biometric company in Germany is transforming a Philippine government office to an agency gaining recognition for speed and transparency. Dermalog Identification Systems of Hamburg, Germany, a 20-year-old company with cutting-edge solutions for access and data security, recently completed the design and construction of the complex digital infrastructure of the Land Transportation Office.
“Part of the ‘LTO-IT Infrastructure Project, Component A’ is to establish a state-of-the-art on-premise private cloud to support the current and future demands of the agency,” said LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar C. Galvante in a statement. “Coupled with the best and latest technologies, we are following a set of IT support best practices in running the operations of the LTO data center to support LTO’s operations 24/7.”
The IT infrastructure project consists of six core IT systems running simultaneously, with all systems now in the pilot implementation phase. The core of the system is a public portal where nearly all transactions cane be done online.
“The business process starts with the signing on or single registration of stakeholders in the LTO portal. Single Sign-On (SSO) is an authentication protocol that allows a user to access multiple applications—like the MVIRS, DLS, LETAS—with one set of login credentials,” explained Romeo G. Vera Cruz, LTO Executive Director and Chief of Management Information Technology. “Upon registration, the client is issued a unified LTO customer number. This number is a lifetime registration reference number and can be used for all transaction types. Our portal can be accessed with all device from anywhere.”
Upon logging in, the portal shows the Online Appointment and Application System (OAAS), which is based on a smart web-based system that provides LTO customers the facility to book an appointment online and, at the same time, lodge applications for all LTO transactions.
The Motor Vehicle Inspection and Registration System (MVIRS) supports the management of motor vehicle inspection and registration, and is capable of printing registration certificates and renewing registration online.
The Driver’s Licensing System (DLS) allows LTO customers to manage applications and renewals of driver’s licenses, or applications for additional codes. All necessary documents can be uploaded and checked before the client appears at the LTO.
The Law Enforcement and Traffic Adjudication System (LETAS) is a system for the recording of infractions and charges, and the processing of fines and fees. It also provides management of case adjudication, lets the customer manage his infractions and pay for them online. Part of the new LETAS is a handheld device given to law enforcement officers to check the validity of a license and verify the client with face recognition or fingerprints. The system can issue electronic temporary operators permits (ETOP) and allows clients to pay online for their infractions.
To speed up payments, the Revenue Collection System (RCS) is linked to ePayment gateways that enable LTO to collect on real-time and remit collection to the Bureau of Treasury electronically on the standard government remittance timeline. All payments can be done online even before going to LTO.
The Executive Information System (EIS), which facilitates and supports senior executive information and decision-making needs is, the sixth core system. This provides analytics and simulation of data that would be useful for quick decision-making, policy formulation, strategic planning, and research and development.
All appointments, processing of motor vehicle registration and driver’s licenses, payments, inquiry of status and release of licenses/certificates are done online. Email and short message service (SMS) notifications from the LTO portal inform stakeholders of the status of their transactions. For those with no ICT resources, internet cafés and mobile phones are the mode of transacting business with the LTO.
“The modern LTO system is currently capable of electronic payments, with online payment facilities available anytime and anywhere via interfaced payment gateways,” added Galvante. “Payments are made either in cash at the LTO offices or through Driver’s License Renewal Offices (DLRO’s) located in various malls, credit cards, over-the-counter (OTC) transactions in banks, GCash and other payment channels. The payment module is integrated to the MVIRS, DLS and LETAS to enable payment of fees and charges anytime, anywhere.”
As one of the LTO infrastructure’s security measures, the latest in biometric technology using 10 fingerprints and facial recognition is integrated into the business solution. This ensures that an LTO customer applying for a driver’s license or for motor vehicle registration is the same person in LTO’s central database. This database is equipped with the fastest Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), enabling buyers of second-hand units to be certain that they are buying vehicles from genuine motor vehicle owners. The automation of LTO services nationwide is aimed at easing and securing the daily transactions of the public.
“The entire IT infrastructure system is cloud based, with all data available from anywhere, meaning a client can apply, register and renew in all LTO offices nationwide without hassle. Drivers’ licenses can now be secured and delivered to your home in the Philippines or anywhere in world. This feature is for the convenience of our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) who would want to renew their license online and have it delivered to their homes by courier services,” said Galvante.
Dermalog is the largest biometric company in Germany, which has helped shape the world for the last 20 years in providing biometric security products for law enforcement, civil governmental agencies like national registration, national ID, voter verifications systems, driver’s license, e-passports, health agencies and security agencies. It develops solutions for access and data security, authorization and authentication services as well as mobile security, border controls in ASEAN member countries to name a few.
The company has successfully implemented more than 230 large-scale biometric projects for governments and private enterprises in Singapore, Nigeria, Brunei, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Afghanistan, the Maldives, to name a few. In particular, it has supplied the biometric driver’s license in the Philippines since August 27, 2017, the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) of the Commission on Election (COMELEC) in May 2016, the biometric screening system for Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and very recently, the biometric screening for Thailand‘s immigration and border management. The AFIS of Dermalog in LTO, COMELEC and any part of the world effectively prevents double identities thereby thwarting fraud and acquisition of double social benefits from the government.