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Ecuadorian Government uses Zebra card printers to protect Galapagos Islands' Ecological Treasure

Identification Cards used to track tourists, control immigration to Galapagos Islands

Zebra Technologies, a worldwide leader in card printing and bar code labelling solutions, recently announced that the government of Ecuador has purchased four Zebra P420i printers in order to control tourism and immigration to the Galapagos Islands via secure plastic identification cards.  The ID card printers are being used to print and encode contactless smart cards for all Galapagos residents, and every tourist to the islands. 

The resident security cards will include micro text security, invisible UV ink, holographic overlay, a photograph, and a barcode.  Tourist cards will not include a photo and will, therefore, be reusable.  The tourist and resident information will also be stored in a computer database that is accessible by microwave or satellite communications between the islands.  Even if the cards are lost, the information remains in the database.  About 150,000 tourists visit the islands each year, and an estimated 25,000 people live there permanently.

"The issue of these photo ID cards will be mandatory for all residents," reports Frank Nankervis, manager of Ecuador-based Logikard, the integrator that sold the government the printers.  "When tourists travel, the contactless cards will be used to check them the same way that residents are checked.  The cards will contain information about which islands travellers are visiting, their passport number, how long they are allowed to stay, and when they are leaving."

"We chose contactless smart cards because communications between the islands are not very good, so we don't have a very trustworthy online system of communicating among the Galapagos Islands and the continent," Nankervis explains.  "So, the chip card is one of the main cards that can be used in an offline environment, with the information being transmitted in batches."

In addition, the contactless smart cards were chosen because they are less likely to become damaged by tourists walking on the beach or getting them wet.  What's more, they are not magnetic stripe cards, so they cannot become demagnetized, and they are more durable than contact smart cards.

Logikard and its sister company, SmartKard, developed the software to issue the smart cards and to read the cards and control the flow of passengers in the continental airports in Ecuador and in the two airports at the Galapagos Islands.

Tourists must surrender their cards upon leaving the country.  Conversely, if residents want to access the greatly reduced airline fares offered to authorized Galapagos residents, they must show their identification card when leaving or entering the islands.  Previously, people would borrow identification cards from residents and use them to purchase airline tickets to and from the islands.  Now, with the smart identification cards, only authorized residents will be able to purchase the reduced fare tickets.

"The Ecuadorian government recognized that Zebra is a leader in the plastic card printing market," stated Bob Anderson, Zebra Card Printer Solutions director of marketing.  "We are gratified that our card printers are now instrumental in protecting the ecological riches of the Galapagos Islands."

The islands' popularity with tourists and would-be residents is spurring increased protection efforts by the Ecuadorian government and the non-profit groups that study the islands.  The islands have been designated as a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  The Ecuadorian government is also a strong supporter of the Galapagos Marine Reserve.

The P420i is a rugged, dual-sided, full-colour printer that readily prints high quality, personalized ID badges in high volume applications with proven reliability for mission-critical applications in corporations, government agencies, educational institutions and retail environments.   

The Galapagos identification card program has already caught the eye of UNESCO, which is interested in using contactless smart cards to control access to other World Heritage sites, Nankervis reports.