Military Base Finds RFID Tags Beneficial In Reducing Crime, Congestion

Fort McPherson Army base in Georgia is the home of the US Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), the Third U.S. Army/Forces Central Command and the U.S. Army Reserve Command. More than 5,000 vehicles pass through the main gate of the base every day, with each vehicle having to be checked by the military police on arrival. MPs would check the vehicle occupants' ID, check they had a Department of Defense sticker in the window, ask a question or two and then wave the vehicle through. The system was costly, labour-intensive, slow and inefficient.

TransCore and Gatekeeper Systems have now created a Ground Transportation Management System (GTMS) that would deal with travel and security around airports. The technology allows authorised vehicles (airport busses, taxis, cargo vans, etc) to enter the grounds, enabling manless security checkpoins that can monitor, track, control, record and report vehicle operations. Nearby traffic congestion and air pollution from vehicle emissions would be reduced, and airport revenues from commercial vehicle access charges would increase because vehicles would be charged on a "per use" basis.

As part of the test phase for the program, Fort McPherson's Public Safety Directorate began registering an initial 5,000 vehicles and drivers - mostly military personnel and civilian base workers.

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