Canada orders more optical-based resident ID cards

LaserCard Corporation, a supplier of secure ID credentials used in biometric identification, has announced the receipt of a 12-month extension to a five-year subcontract from General Dynamics Information Technology for the manufacture and supply of optical memory-based Permanent Resident Cards for the government of Canada.

The contract extension was accompanied by a purchase order for $2 million in cards to be delivered over the next 12 months.

The Canadian Permanent Resident Card was the first optical memory card to comply with standards published by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

"We are proud to continue supporting this high profile secure ID card program," said Richard Haddock, president and CEO, of LaserCard. "We have supplied more than 30 million secure optical cards to the governments of the United States and Canada. The two countries’ installed base of cards and their more than 1,100 interoperable optical memory card border inspection systems represent the largest advanced technology, secure ID card program in North America."