# Remote Video Inspection System

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The **Remote Video Inspection System** (RVIS) was deployed by United States in the late 1990s at select low-traffic [border entry points](/source/Border_control) from Canada. The system allowed passport and customs inspections to be conducted remotely, so that low-risk travelers could enter the country during hours that the border station did not have on-site staff. The system was successfully deployed at a number of entry points, in six different states. RVIS was discontinued following the [September 11 attacks](/source/September_11_attacks).

## Conception

In the early 1990s, the [Immigration and Naturalization Service](/source/Immigration_and_Naturalization_Service) (INS) was interested in finding ways to enable low-risk travelers to enter the United States from Canada at small ports of entry after inspection services had ended for the day. INS commissioned its contractor [EDS](/source/Electronic_Data_Systems), as well as the [U.S. Department of Transportation](/source/U.S._Department_of_Transportation) [John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center](/source/John_A._Volpe_National_Transportation_Systems_Center) and its contractors Labblee Inc. and Bishop Systems to develop and deploy a system that transmitted audio, video and data to an inspector at a nearby 24-hour port of entry. The system was originally named "Remote Inspection Communicator And Remote Document Observer" (RICARDO), but the name was changed to Remote Video Inspection System (RVIS) prior to its first deployment.

## Deployment

RVIS consisted of a series of [pan–tilt–zoom cameras](/source/Pan%E2%80%93tilt%E2%80%93zoom_camera) (PTZ), an amplified [speakerphone](/source/Speakerphone), a [card reader](/source/Card_reader) and a [telecommunications device for the deaf](/source/Telecommunications_device_for_the_deaf) (TDD).[1] There were vehicle sensors at the [Canada–United States border](/source/Canada%E2%80%93United_States_border) that initiated the system, and exit sensors that alerted operators that a drive-by had occurred. There were also area lights, a text display and a traffic signal. Some ports of entry had electronic gates for traffic management. Inspectors at the remote location could control the PTZ cameras, and conduct a verbal interview with the driver and passengers.

The first two RVIS sites were at the border crossings of [Forest City](/source/Forest_City,_Maine) and [Orient](/source/Orient,_Maine) in [Maine](/source/Maine) in 1996.[2][3] By 2000, RVIS systems had been deployed at 18 of 22 planned locations:[4]

U.S. state U.S. location Border crossing Maine Easton Easton–River de Chute Border Crossing Forest City Forest City Border Crossing Monticello Monticello–Bloomfield Border Crossing Orient Orient–Fosterville Border Crossing Minnesota Noyes Noyes–Emerson East Border Crossing† Pinecreek Pinecreek–Piney Border Crossing Montana Scobey Scobey–Coronach Border Crossing Whitetail Whitetail–Big Beaver Border Crossing‡ Whitlash Whitlash–Aden Border Crossing New Hampshire Pittsburg Pittsburg–Chartierville Border Crossing North Dakota Ambrose Ambrose–Torquay Border Crossing Carbury Carbury–Goodlands Border Crossing Hannah Hannah–Snowflake Border Crossing Hansboro Hansboro–Cartwright Border Crossing Maida Maida–Windygates Border Crossing Northgate Northgate Border Crossing Washington Ferry Ferry–Midway Border Crossing Nighthawk Nighthawk–Chopaka Border Crossing

- † Closed since 2006
- ‡ Closed since 2013

RVIS was planned for the [Morses Line Border Crossing](/source/Morses_Line_Border_Crossing) in [Vermont](/source/Vermont), but local residents opposed its installation.[5] However, in 2016, the Canadian side implemented a similar system. [6]

## Decommission

The RVIS system never achieved its full potential because its deployment pre-dated the rollout of high speed data networking at all ports of entry, which caused the video transmission to be slow and cumbersome.[citation needed] Its usage was suspended following the [September 11 attacks](/source/September_11_attacks),[7] and the RVIS system was officially decommissioned on November 1, 2002.[8][9]

## See also

- [PORTPASS](/source/PORTPASS)
- [U.S. Customs and Border Protection](/source/U.S._Customs_and_Border_Protection)

## References

1. ["Automated Port-of-Entry Opens in Pittsburgh, New Hampshire"](https://books.google.com/books?id=--SzkNDkwOsC&pg=PT35). *INS Communiqué*. [Immigration and Naturalization Service](/source/Immigration_and_Naturalization_Service). March 1999. p. 9. Retrieved July 12, 2020. – via [Google Books](/source/Google_Books)

1. Brown, Wayne (March 17, 1996). ["Border hopping simplified"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55308278/border-hopping-simplified/). *[Bangor Daily News](/source/Bangor_Daily_News)*. p. 17. Retrieved July 13, 2020. – via newspapers.com.

1. Brown, Wayne (September 25, 1997). ["Bill seeks to clarify murky immigration law"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55308094/bill-seeks-to-clarify-murky-immigration/). *[Bangor Daily News](/source/Bangor_Daily_News)*. p. 12. Retrieved July 13, 2020. – via newspapers.com.

1. ["Alternative Inspection Services Program"](https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/lbrr/archives/cn63684181-eng.pdf). *Canada-United States Accord on Our Shared Border: Update 2000*. Citizenship and Immigration Canada. 2000. pp. 29–31. ISBN 0-662-29359-2. Retrieved July 13, 2020. – via publicsafety.gc.ca.

1. Cowperthwait, Richard (September 17, 1997). ["Residents criticize federal plans at Morses Line port"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55221386/residents-criticize-federal-plans-at/). *[The Burlington Free Press](/source/The_Burlington_Free_Press)*. p. 13. Retrieved July 12, 2020. – via newspapers.com.

1. Woods, Allan (2016-09-18). ["Eyes on this border crossing are 700 kilometres away"](https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/09/18/eyes-on-this-border-crossing-are-700-kilometres-away.html). *[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star)*. Retrieved 2016-09-21.

1. Seghetti, Lisa M. (May 18, 2004). ["Border Security: Immigration Issues in the 108th Congress"](https://fas.org/sgp/crs/RL31727.pdf). [Congressional Research Service](/source/Congressional_Research_Service). p. CRS-12. Retrieved July 12, 2020. – via [FAS.org](/source/Federation_of_American_Scientists)

1. ["U.S. Customs Project to Enhance Security at Border Crossings"](http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/archives/legacy/2002/112002/11012002.xml). [U.S. Customs and Border Protection](/source/U.S._Customs_and_Border_Protection). November 1, 2002. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090906075913/http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/archives/legacy/2002/112002/11012002.xml) September 6, 2009 at the Wayback Machine. – via [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

1. [*Department of Homeland Security Appropriations for 2004: Titles I and II*](https://books.google.com/books?id=pOAdAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA422). United States Government Printing Office. 2003. p. 422. Retrieved July 12, 2020. – via [Google Books](/source/Google_Books) That is one of the reasons that on October 31, 2002, Commissioner Bonner approved a recommendation by the Office of Field Operations to terminate the RVIS program and incorporate the existing RVIS equipment into the Northern Border Security Project.

[Remote Video Inspection (RVI)](https://revcord.com/iq3/rvi%20ar/) without requiring any additional apps or software. The system allows users to securely and remotely view and analyze live video feeds from multiple sources, including surveillance cameras, drones, and mobile devices.

## Further reading

- ["After hours, visitors go on video to cross border"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55201934/after-hours-visitors-go-on-video-to/). *[Great Falls Tribune](/source/Great_Falls_Tribune)*. February 6, 2000. p. 37. Retrieved July 12, 2020. – via newspapers.com.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Remote Video Inspection System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Video_Inspection_System) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Video_Inspection_System?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.