Great Wall of China moves to contactless access ticketing with Philips’ MIFARE UltraLight chip technology

Royal Philips Electronics today announced that the Beijing Municipal Administration and Communications Card Co. Ltd. (BMAC) is using Philips’ MIFARE® UltraLight contactless chip technology in a new e-ticketing system for the Great Wall of China at Badaling, Beijing. In the near future, visitors will obtain faster, easier and more convenient access to this popular tourist destination, as existing magnetic card access is replaced by Philips’ contactless chip technology used in a contactless smart card system.

The new e-ticketing system is compatible with Beijing’s existing One-Card ticketing system, which will be used at the 2008 Olympics and will also support Beijing Public Transportation mass transit cards based on Philips’ MIFARE contactless chip technology.

Each year more than 4 million people from around the world visit the Great Wall of China. The landmark’s new contactless system, based on Philips’ MIFARE technology, will streamline access by reducing ticket jams, fraud and system maintenance costs. The system will enhance the information system management of tourism spots in China, enabling a real-time management of tourist flows and will provide support for bundling transportation and accommodation. The contactless system is rugged making it ideal of outdoor use, and is designed to withstand the hot and cold weather extremes as well as other severe weather conditions such as blowing sand encountered at the Great Wall.

Visitors will obtain access to the Great Wall of China by using chip-based smart cards as tokens and later the Beijing One-Card, eliminating the need for cash payments while tourist bureaus also benefit from the improved statistical collection. Contactless systems are planned to be installed at other tourist attractions, including other renowned tourist spots in Beijing and elsewhere in China.

“Contactless access at the Great Wall of China will serve as an important case study for implementation in other venues and events around China, most notably the Olympics,” said Derrick Robinson, senior research analyst, IMS Research.

“The e-ticketing system at Badaling Great Wall creates a new spending pattern, introducing an innovative purchasing concept when compared to the traditional entry ticket buying method. We selected Philips’ MIFARE Ultra Light technology for its convenience, reliability and ability to be quickly integrated into installed ticketing systems due to compatibility with Beijing’s existing e-ticketing system as well as other mass transit systems throughout the country,” said the Project Head of BMAC. “During a trial run at the Great Wall of China from March to July 2004, the system demonstrated excellent, reliable performance.”

“To date, more than 100 million MIFARE IC–based cards have been distributed in China,” said Tony Lear, senior vice president and general manager of Philips Semiconductors China. “The implementation of Philips’ MIFARE Ultra Light contactless technology at the Great Wall of China showcases the extension of the technology beyond initial transport applications and demonstrates the benefits it can bring to other facets of the connected consumer lifestyle.”

Related stories:

Angular observation of joints of geckos moving on horizontal and vertical surfaces
New research shows that gecko's joints rotated more quickly the greater the speed, and the swinging scope of forelimbs stayed nearly at 59 degrees when swinging forward. The lifting angle of forelimbs was always positive to keep the center of mass close to the surface when moving up vertical surfaces. Alternative gaits had little effect on the swing angle of hind limbs of the geckos moving on both horizontal and vertical surfaces.
Student drives shoppers up wall with hot gadget
(PhysOrg.com) -- An enterprising student from The University of Manchester is set to drive Christmas shoppers up the wall with a new must-have gadget.
Novel fungus helps beetles to digest hard wood
A little known fungus tucked away in the gut of Asian longhorned beetles helps the insect munch through the hardest of woods according to a team of entomologists and biochemists. Researchers say the discovery could lead to innovative methods of controlling the invasive pest, and potentially offer more efficient ways of breaking down plant biomass for generating biofuels.
Partial Eclipse, Total Fun
On Friday, August 1st, millions of people in Greenland, Siberia, Mongolia and China—especially China—are going to witness a total eclipse of the sun. The Moon's cool shadow will sweep across the landscape, silencing wildlife with sudden darkness, filling the sky with the sun's ghostly corona, transforming ordinary folks into life-long eclipse chasers. Mainstream media gives this sort of thing saturation coverage.
Stink bugs are on the move across Pennsylvania
(PhysOrg.com) -- They're big, they're distinctively aromatic, and they're coming to a home near you. Stink bugs are on the move across Pennsylvania and a bug expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences says we should get ready for an extended stay.
Fraud with cultured pearls can be detected
Scientists at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Germany) advise buyers of cultured pearls to be more vigilant. "In Germany too, we are increasingly seeing Chinese sweet-water cultured pearls being marketed as Japanese, although they actually originate from China," say Dr Dorrit Jacob and Ursula Wehrmeister of the Institute of Geosciences.
First draft of transgenic papaya genome yields many fruits
A broad collaboration of research institutions in the U.S. and China has produced a first draft of the papaya genome. This draft, which spells out more than 90 percent of the plant’s gene coding sequence, sheds new light on the evolution of flowering plants. And because it involves a genetically modified plant, the newly sequenced papaya genome offers the most detailed picture yet of the genetic changes that make the plant resistant to the papaya ringspot virus. The findings appear as the cover article in the journal Nature.
Carbon Nanotube Measurements: Latest in NIST 'How-To' Series
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has published detailed guidelines for making essential measurements on samples of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The new guide constitutes the current “best practices” for characterizing one of the most promising and heavily studied of the new generation of nanoscale materials.

News discussion:

Technology news