Original Article Case Study: Arizona Digital Driver License System Overview WEI developed a Digital Driver License Workstation for over-the-counter issue of driver licenses in the State of Arizona. The work was performed as a subcontractor to Viisage Technology. System Operation The system receives license requests from the State's mainframe computer over a state-wide TCP/IP network. When the operator selects a customer for processing, the system displays the customer's demographic data for verification. The system also has the ability to retrieve an existing image for this customer from a Central Image Server in real time. The customer's portrait and signature are captured using analog cameras and a frame grabber. Lighting, camera positioning controls, and custom color-correction algorithms are used to ensure a quality portrait for each customer. Once all of the information has been captured, the software formats the driver license and prints the card on a Toppan CP-1000 dye-sublimation printer. The customer information is then forwarded to the Central Image Server, a MS SQL Server database that stores all the images for the State. Hardware and Software The Digital Driver License Workstation runs MS Windows NT Workstation 4.0. The software was developed using IBM VisualAge for C++. The application uses ODBC to communicate with the Central Image Server. Web-based Retrieval In addition to the DDL Workstation, WEI developed a Web-based Image Retrieval System to provide access to the stored images. Case Study: Arizona Web-based Image Retrieval System Overview As part of the Arizona Digital Driver License System, WEI developed a web-based Image Retrieval System. The system provides the means for employees throughout the state to access images from the Central Image Server. Background The Arizona Digital Drivers License system captures a digital portrait and signature for each customer in order to produce the driver license. These images are then saved on a Central Image Server, an MS SQL Server database. There are many potential users for these images in the State, including Motor Vehicle offices, law enforcement agencies, and third-party affiliates. These potential users employ a variety of computer platforms. To avoid the complicated issues of software compatability, installation, and training for this diverse group, WEI suggested implementing an image retrieval system using intranet technologies. System Operation The Web Retrieval Server accepts requests from any standard Web Browser client on the State intranet. Requests are authenticated using a private key encryption technique to ensure authorized access. The user enters a license number into an HTML form, and receives a list of dates and times for all images on record for the corresponding customer. The user can then select any or all of the records listed to view the actual images, along with the corresponding demographic data. The browser's print functions can be used to print a hard copy of the images. The scalable design of the Image Retrieval System allows it to handle thousands of requests per day and deliver images immediately on demand throughout the state of Arizona. The HTTP/HTML architecture frees the State from having to distribute and maintain special-purpose client software on thousands of different systems. The authentication mechanism ensures authorized image retrieval without sacrificing performance. Software The Web Retrieval Server is a custom web server written in C++. The software was developed using IBM VisualAge for C++ version 3.5, and uses ODBC to communicate with the Central Image Server. The Web Retrieval Server accepts requests from the browser clients using the HTTP protocol. It works with standard web browsers, including MS Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.