Time and attendance system with verification of employee identity and geographical location

摘要

A time and attendance system and method are provided for monitoring employees at remote worksites such as construction sites. The system comprises one or more portable recording apparatuses. Each of these portable recording apparatuses includes means for identifying its geographical location, a keypad for the employees' entry of an ID upon clocking into or out of a worksite and a digital camera for capturing a visual image of the employees upon each such event. The recording apparatus captures and stores these data on a local database in association with the employees' IDs. The recording apparatus periodically establishes contact, over the Internet or another network, with a central computer to transmit the stored information, including the recording apparatus's geographical location, to the central computer. The central computer stores reference visual images for the employees. Using a computer connected to the network, an authorized user can access the central computer at any time to verify attendance at the worksite including comparing the visual images captured by the recording apparatus for the employees with their reference visual images.