APHIDS (Access Pass Holder Information Distribution System) is a secure national capability that facilitates the unique identification of all staff with access to restricted areas at UK airports and is subject to enhanced background checks and criminal records checks.
It enables industry, the Civil Aviation Authority, law enforcement, and the government to identify such staff.
APHIDS is designed to minimize insider threats and was developed as a proof of concept (PoC). Further, the Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE) through innovative collaboration with the supplier network.
The project was a joint effort of the Home Office and the Department for Transport. Subsequently, it has been rolled out across UK airports in scope.
APHIDS serves as a central source of information on individuals holding or applying for airside access passes and has been praised for being extremely user-friendly, which was achieved through extensive user engagement during the design and development process.
UK to Improve Security Airport
In 2018, ACE was approached to create a system that could receive data from different systems across multiple airports. Subsequently, this system was designed to provide efficiency savings to the industry and support law enforcement in tackling insider threats in aviation.
APHIDS is now a single and coherent national capability that enables the following:
- More stringent and efficient security checks
- A consolidated national overview
- Compliance with new legislation requiring continuous criminal records checks
- Reduced risk of an insider threat
APHIDS is a valuable tool that helps to keep airports safe and secure. Further, it is a coherent national capability that provides efficiency savings to the industry, supports law enforcement, and reduces the risk of insider threats.
More Secure Airports
ACE, Naimuri, and BMT from our Vivace community of industry experts collaborated to define the scope. Further, engage with user groups from late 2018 to early 2019 to understand their specific requirements to enhance airport security.
The team visited over 20 airports to ask end users about their data access needs, developed the core of APHIDS to enable user access to information, and demonstrated that APHIDS could receive data from multiple systems and airports and share it with interested parties.
The initial goal was to develop a proof of concept (PoC) using the latest data ingestion and analysis tools and techniques. Subsequently, with data from various airports led to the development of a more secure airport environment.
Live Service
Following ACE’s successful development of a proof of concept, Naimuri was selected as the Home Office Digital, Data, and Technology industry partner to continue developing and delivering the Access Pass Holder Information Distribution System (APHIDS) through to public beta.
In 2022, APHIDS went live, building on the early work of ACE and securing a support contract from Naimuri, which is part of QinetiQ.
APHIDS is designed to increase the visibility of airside pass holders and reduce time and effort. Required to access information while also meeting UK legislation on enhanced background checks.
Positive feedback and high adoption rates have led to exploring the potential for APHIDS to be rolled out to other transport modes beyond aviation by the Department for Transport and the Home Office, thus further strengthening and protecting the UK’s critical national infrastructure.
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