Finger Print Recognition and Image Enhancement Using Matlab

Biometrics technology aims at utilizing major and distinctive characteristics such as behavioral or biological, for the sake of positively indentifying people. With the help of a combination of hardware and specific identifying sets of rules, a basic human attribute, automated biometric recognition mimics to distinguish and categorize other people as individual and unique. But the challenges surrounding biometrics are great as well.

In quadrants 1 and 2 how the amount and constituents of the fingerprint residue on the substrate affects the fingerprint image, is determined. In quadrant 1, excess sebum and moisture is first removed from the finger tips with the help of a clean cloth. In quadrant 2, fingertip is first wiped around the nose or forehead to create excess sebum. Quadrant 3 and 4 were used to compare the details between untreated and dusted fingerprint residues.

Minutia points represent positions where friction ridges end abruptly or where a ridge branches into two or many more ridges. A typical good-quality fingerprint template contains 20-70 minutiae points; the actual number depends on the size of the finger sensor surface and how the user places his or her finger on the sensor. The system stores the minutiae information position and direction along with the user's demographic information as a template in the enrollment database.

Lee, H. (2001). Advances in Fingerprint Technology, Second Edition, 2nd Edition. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from Vital Source: http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781420041347

During investigating a crime scene there is very important databases that can help make or break a case. Some examples of certain databases they use are National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), and Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Using these certain databases can help you solve a crime more efficiently because you can find answers you need more quickly with the technology that is now provided.

Fingerprints can be taken from a crime scene in various methods. Fingerprints are classified into three categories depending on the surface they are found. Fingerprints on soft surfaces are most likely to be three-dimensional plastic prints such as soap, wax, wet paint, fresh caulk, etc. (“A Simplified Guide To Fingerprint Analysis”, n.d). The fingerprints on hard surfaces are patent or latent prints including blood, dirt, ink, paint, etc. transferred from a finger or thumb to a surface (“A Simplified Guide To Fingerprint Analysis”, n.d). Patent prints can be collected using photography. The prints are photographed in high resolution with a forensic measurement scale for the image for reference. There are multiple methods for discovering and collecting latent prints. Alternate Light Source (ALS) use

In biometric recognition there different kind of recognition that relates to biometric but some of the current uses in iris recognition is the national border controls which is the iris being an passport. Also their more current uses for the iris recognition is the forensic usage which is when tracing and finding a missing person or any individual that was missing personal files. There also other uses that their using and one of them is for iris recognition is using the internet security to control the access of the privileged information. Some of the current uses for face recognition is for crime fighting which is when the law enforcement agents are using to recognize many people based on their face. Also another uses of face recognition

Fingerprints are impressions left by ridges that press against things and leave a mark. They’re formed in the basal layer of skin while in the womb. The three fundamental principles of fingerprints are: no two fingerprints are the same, a fingerprint will remain the same for a lifetime, and there are general ridge patterns found in fingerprints that allow them to be systematically classified. Arches, whorls, and loops are the three basic fingerprint patterns. There also four subgroups which are plain, central pocket, double/double loop, and accidental. A minutiae, or ridge characteristic, are characteristics within a fingerprint that must make up for identification. Some examples of individual ridge characteristics would be bifurcation, short ridge, dot, etc. With the use of fingerprints, many individuals have been identified in criminal investigations.

A Fingerprint is a pattern of fine ridges and valleys (spaces between ridges) on the surface of a finger and fingerprint sensor makes a digitized image of it. The sensing resolution is 500ppi (pixel per inch; also known as 500dpi, i.e., dots per inch) in most cases, which is equivalent to 20 pixels in 1 millimeter. The obtained image size is typically in the range of between 300*300 and 512*512 pixels, which makes the area covering the fingerprint between 15 to 25 millimeters square.

In this phase a variable light source was used to excite the fingerprint residue. This was done to obtain fluorescence from the fingerprint residue. Various spectral filters and a range of camera settings accompanied with different light sources were tested to see if any fluorescence existed. The images were compared with each other to figure out if any sample shows florescence under any specific range of wavelengths. Since, we were unaware of the fact whether the fingerprints were contaminated during any experiment we used various wavelengths for the substances that might show fluorescence under different wavelengths. The level of detail in the images remained the same as the previous phase of research and

The final main biometric technology used is fingerprint recognition. This is definitely the most widely used biometric technology. This type of biometric has been used for many, many years. Because of this, fingerprint recognition has been known as the most primary and accurate identification method used to identify a person. The modern fingerprint recognition is all done electronically. There are two main ways of analyzing fingerprints electronically. The first plots points on the ridges of a person’s fingers that enable the computer to compare to different fingerprints. The second method uses patterns of a fingerprint

“Fingerprint recognition is one of the divorce inference using the impressions made by the minute ridge formations or patterns found on the fingertips. No two people have exactly the same arrangement of the ridge patterns, and the remaining patterns of any one individual unchanged. Fingerprints infallible provide a means of personal identification. Other personal characteristics may change, but not fingerprints”. (1)

At a crime scene, the one thing that can never be fully covered up is the presence of finger prints. Because of the oils we produce through our skin, our fingers leave prints on any imaginable surface, including on another body. These finger prints are classified in many different ways in order to make the extraction, storage and eventual cross-reference of these fingerprints much easier for future analysis purposes. The

Every time somebody touches something, they leave behind a unique signature that forever links them to that object. This link is their fingerprints, which are unique to every person, for no two people have the same set, not even family members or identical twins. Palms and toes also leave prints behind, but these are far less commonly found during crime scene investigations. Therefore, fingerprints provide an identification process that is applicable to background checks, biometric security, mass disaster identification, and most importantly, crime scene investigations. Fingerprints are so differentiated because they are made up of distinct patterns of ridges and furrows on the fingers. The ridges are the “raised” portions of the prints, and the furrows are the “recessed” portions. This perceived uniqueness has led some people to falsely accept fingerprint analysis as absolute scientific fact. Although overall fingerprints are reliable, there are definitely situations where their accuracy can come into question.

The process of DNA fingerprinting in humans involves the replication and arrangement of extracted DNA, to create a pattern/fingerprint that is viable for comparison. This process involves the application of DNA extraction, digestion by restriction enzymes, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis. This results in a DNA profile with bands of varying widths that can be used for the comparison of genetic information. DNA extraction occurs in three stages. Firstly, a