Symbol Technologies Africa have announced that the new drivers license system which is being introduced in March 1998 by the SA Department of Transport, will feature a two-dimensional barcode developed by USA-based Symbol Technologies.Information about the license, the driver`s photo, personal data and license endorsement will be compressed on a 1.3 square-inch area to provide positive user identification and enhanced security.Symbol worked with FaceTechnologies - an Ariel Technologies subsidiary who received the contract to manufacture the new license, to encode the demographics of the individual in a portable data file barcode symbology called PDF417. When the license is scanned, the information is accessed directly from the PDF symbol, thereby eliminating error-prone and time-consuming rekeying of data.PDF417 answers the need to store and transfer large amounts of data securely and inexpensively. A single PDF417 symbol stores about 100 times more information (over a kilobyte of data) in the same space as a standard barcode.Additionally, two-dimensional barcodes use error-correction techniques that allow them to withstand damage that would destroy conventional bar codes."The driver`s license initiative is the latest in a fast-growing list of applications for our two-dimensional barcode products and systems," said Carlos Ferraz, managing director, Symbol Technologies Africa."The technology is becoming firmly established in transportation, manufacturing and government markets, where the need to store large amounts of data in small spaces and at low cost is vital. We expect this business to continue to grow as more and more customers benefit from improved accuracy and cost-effective data storage."Just how widespread is PDF417 becoming? Last January, President Clinton had his inaugural address, "An American Journey," encoded in two-dimensional barcodes and printed on the back of his inaugural programme as part of a project to provide computer access to the disabled.The barcoded address was read with Symbol laser scanners connected to speech synthesisers linked to printers to demonstrate voice and printing capabilities. The PDF4717 application helped make the President Clinton`s point that new information technology is "creating an accessible bridge to the 21st Century."More about the new drivers licenseMotorists will have to pay up to R100 and undergo an eye test to convert their licenses into the new credit-card look format. Gauteng is expecting 754 000 license conversions a year over the next five years.The Transport Department decided to force the country`s 6.5 million licensed drivers to convert their current licenses to the new type mainly to eliminate the estimated 1 million drivers who are driving with forged or fraudulent licenses.
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