3D biometric Amber alerts in W.Va.

West Virginia will roll out its AmberView program at schools this fall. The project generates a 3D image of each schoolchild, which will be instantly posted on the AmberView websit as soon as an Amber alert goes out. The AmberView site explains the technology:

The 3D format allows the image to be enlarged and viewed from various angles, making positive identification easier. Once scanned, this biometric data will be stored on a server in a secure database located at the WVHTC. Since the data is stored in a digital file, it can be quickly transmitted electronically to a vast array of recipients. Within minutes of notification, thousands of people in a broad geographical area will be on the alert to find the missing child.

According to local TV station WTRF:

The West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation is teaming with several different agencies to be able to offer this service.

After countless hours of pilot programs and testing, now members of the WVHTC are taking their program to the parents to inform them on what to expect next school year. "This will be the beginning of our outreach effort that will inform the public, parents and those individuals in the community to make them aware that AmberView will be coming to their school system beginning in the fall," said Robert Chico, Program Manager.