Fingerprint Identification and Verification Systems

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.

During the identification phase, the user puts the finger on the same sensor, generating a new fingerprint image or template called query print. Minutiae points are carried out from the query print, and the matcher module compares the set of query minutia with the stored minutia templates or image in the enrollment database to find the number of similar minutia points. Because of variations present in finger placement and pressure applied to the sensor, the minutia points take out from the template and query fingerprints must be lined up, or submitted before matching. After line up the fingerprints, the matcher decides the number of pairs of matching minutiae-two minutiae points that have similar location and directions. The system decides the user's identity by comparing the match score to a

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

In July of 1999 the fingerprint was introduced into the IAFIS. The FBI had so many fingerprints on file that in order to convict someone it would take years for them to be able to match a fingerprint. This database created a way for it to be completed faster and more efficient. The data is taken first with directly indefinable characteristics (name, social security, address, telephone number, email, biometric identifiers, photography) and then entered in the with non-indefinable characteristics (gender, race, birthdate, license number) to create personal file. The database is maintained by the FBI to keep all of the fingerprints in line. But, many agencies (federal, state, local and foreign) can use the database on order to make sure a suspect isn't linked with any other crimes and to identify the

After Galton’s discovery, the use of fingerprinting by law enforcement was inevitable. In 1892, an Argentine police official, Juan Vucetich, became the first person to identify a criminal through fingerprints (The History of Fingerprints). The last major step necessary for the widespread use of fingerprint identification was to create a classification system that simplified the process of matching fingerprints. That came in 1901, when Edward Henry devised a system that separated fingerprints into four different categories - loops, whorls, arches, and composites (Skopitz). Shortly after its development, most European nations implemented this system of

Fingerprint comparison has always interested me because of the uniqueness in friction ridge detail. As a fingerprint expert, you learn that there are no two individual in the world that have the same fingerprints. Individuals can share the same DNA but their fingerprints will always be different. Examiners may be able to find two fingerprints that have many of the same characteristics, but not exactly the same as in the case of the Madrid bombing. The basics of fingerprint comparison will always be the same. However, it fascinates me how procedures change, and make fingerprint comparison more of a science.

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.

DNA Fingerprinting, also known as DNA Profiling, is a method used to identify a person using DNA patterns that are specific to him/her. 99.9% of DNA is identical in every human being, but .01% is enough to distinguish between people. It is most commonly used in criminal cases to link a criminal to his/her crime scene, but is also used for paternity/maternity tests, and immigration records. Usually a skin, hair, or body fluid sample is collected from a crime scene or criminal or test candidate, then DNA is extracted and cut using enzymes that recognize patterns in DNA and run through a gel by an electric current in a process called electrophoresis (Annely).

The introduction of the modern use of fingerprinting all started in 1984, when a British geneticist named Alec Jeffreys came across new methods for DNA fingerprinting (Jones, 2012). Since his discovery, this technique has been used successfully to identify perpetrators of crimes. For more than a century in fact, fingerprints have been used as identification tools by law enforcement. Known as “friction ridge analysis,” (Jones, 2012), this forensic method comprises of examiners comparing details of an unknown print against known prints. These details are analyzed

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

The automated Fingerprint Identification System is also known as the AFIS within the law enforcement division (FBI, 2010). This system is an important element in the criminal justice system as some of its features encompass the storing of data, encoding, and fingerprint and facial comparison through graphics and other techniques. Law officials many centuries ago in the pursuit of positively identifying someone suspected of guilt have long used fingerprints techniques. Fingerprinting is also used in branches of our government, and in the Pentagon, the authentication method of fingerprints is used permit access to specified zones inside the building. Fingerprints are an effective and very precise method of identification purposes that does not pose

“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)

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.

Biometrics is used in many places and there is a bright future for them. Coca Cola has recently replaced time card system with hand scanning machines. Finger print scanners are being used in many states of the US. They have been used to trace social welfare fraud. An iris pattern identification system is being used in Cook County, Illinois to ensure that right people are released from jail. ATM machines have been installed with finger scanners to prevent theft and fraud in Indiana (Jain, 2005).

The obtained image is applied to a thinning algorithm and subsequent minutiae extraction. The methodology of image preprocessing and minutiae extraction is discussed. The simulations are performed in the MATLAB environment to evaluate the performance of the implemented algorithms. Results and observations of the fingerprint images are presented at the end.