Parks Canada Tries Smart Cards

Smart-card implementation is increasing. For example, visitors to Parks Canada's Canadian Rockies Hot Springs Div. started to experience the technology last month. The June 23 launch at the Banff Upper Hot Springs involved the initial issue of 20,000 smart cards with predetermined stored values of $50, $100, or $150. The cards will simplify transactions by eliminating the time and effort required for online verification of debit and credit cards, says Nancy Lowery, project manager at Parks Canada. The new procedure: Insert the card into a terminal, push a button, and the purchase amount is quickly deducted. The implementation was by StarGenix Corp. of Calgary using the Siemens SLE4404 Intelligent Memory Chip.