Mobile Monday DC

Hello DC!

The November Mobile Monday DC event will address the topic of Near Field Communications, a short-range wireless technology that makes two-way interactions, such as information exchanges and financial transactions, easier. NFC combines radio frequency identification (RFID) with wireless readers. Unlike Bluetooth or WiFi, NFC-enabled devices do not rely on battery power, and transactions can occur over much shorter distances (a few centimeters compared to 30 to 300 feet).

One industry group, the NFC Forum, estimates that within the next three years, 50 percent of all cell phones will support NFC technology, allowing people to pay for public transportation, sports tickets, and movies through their cell phones.

The speakers for this event, Patrick Hearn of Oberthur Card Sysems and Greg Garback of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, will discuss NFC, RFID and future of digital payment systems.

When: Monday, November 20th, 6:30-8:30PM

Where: Science Club (second floor)- 1136 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036

Science Club is between L & M Streets. Closest Metro stops include Farragut West (Orange and Blue Lines), Dupont Circle, and Farragut North (Red Line).

Cost: Free and open to the public. Food provided, courtesy of MoMo DC.
So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

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About Patrick Hearn
Patrick W. Hearn is Director of Government Identification Markets for Oberthur Card Systems. He is a member of Oberthur's Executive Committee with specific responsibility for sales/marketing for all identification initiatives, government relations and lobbying, and product development. He currently oversees projects for Oberthur such as the DoD Common Access Card, HSPD-12, Registered Traveler, Transportation Worker Identity Credential and First Responders. Patrick is a board member of the Volunteer Credential Industry Coalition, a member of the Smart Card Alliance Educational Institute and is a frequent speaker for Oberthur in identity related issues in the North and Central America for the media.

About Greg Garback
Greg Garback serves as the Executive Officer of the Department of Finance for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA or Metro) in Washington, DC. He has served in this capacity for over seven years coming from twelve years of design and construction management experience on expansion of the Metrorail system in the Washington region.

Among many finance-based responsibilities, Greg was the initial program executive for deploying SmarTrip®, the Authority's contactless smart card now used as an alternative form of payment for rail and bus system fares and parking lot fees. SmarTrip® was launched in May 1999 with the objective of providing utility and convenience to its customers and now has 1,800,000 cards in the field. Greg's current focus on SmarTrip® is to strategically expand the multi-application concept for smart cards working with financial institutions to change the payment paradigm for transit and lay the ground work for transitioning from card-issuing organizations to card-accepting merchants. WMATA continues to lead the expansion based on SmarTrip® as the multi-operator, multi-modal fare media for regional the bus and commuter rail systems in the near future.

Greg currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Smart Card Alliance and is the immediate past co-chair of the Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council. Further, Greg performs peer reviews for the transit industry in the U.S. and abroad, assisting agencies in the planning and deployment phases of smart card based systems; serves on several committees within the American Public Transportation Association in roles focused on advanced payment systems and technologies; serves on the federal government Inter-agency Advisory Board (IAB); and, serves as the co-chair of the Electronic Payment Systems task force for the I-95 Corridor Coalition.

See you there!
Kathie

Related:

Chatting about Near Field Communications at Mobile Monday DC