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The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science

OSAC Lexicon

The OSAC Lexicon is a compendium of forensic science terms and definitions. This terminology tool was created to help bring consistency and understanding to the way terms are used by the various forensic science. Use of the OSAC Lexicon does not replace the need to reference the original published source.

The terms and definitions in the OSAC Lexicon come from the published literature, including documentary standards and technical reports. It is continually updated with the latest work from OSAC units, as well as terms from newly published documentary standards and standards elevated to the OSAC Registry.

Gradually terms are evaluated and harmonized by the OSAC to a single term. This process results in an OSAC Preferred Term. An OSAC Preferred Term is a term, along with its definition, that has undergone review and evaluation by the FSSB Terminology Task Group and has been approved by the FSSB. The FSSB recommends that subcommittees use OSAC Preferred Terms when drafting standards.

The OSAC Lexicon should be the primary resource for terminology and used when drafting and editing forensic science standards and other OSAC work products. 

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Hybrid Mixture

An explosible heterogeneous mixture, comprising gas with suspended solid or liquid particulates, in which the total flammable gas concentration is 10 percent of the lower flammable limit (LFL) and the total suspended particulate concentration is 10 percent of the minimum explosible concentration (MEC). [68, 2018]

Committee
Fire & Explosion Investigation
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
NFPA 921:2021 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA, 2021. Source link
Term link
hybridization

Interbreeding between two taxa that are considered to have diverged in their genetic makeup and taxonomic relationship (e.g., between members of different families, genera, or species). Hybridization commonly occurs between subspecies or closely related species.

Committee
Wildlife Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 111 Standard for Training in Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Analysis for Taxonomic Identification . AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2020. Source link
Term link
Hypergolic
igniting upon contact of components without external aid (as a spark).
Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Hypergolic
spontaneously self-igniting upon mixing of components or when one component contacts another component; examples include the reaction of potassium permanganate with glycerin; and the reaction of calcium hypochlorite with polyethylene glycol.
Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Hypergolic Material

Any substance that will spontaneously ignite or explode upon exposure to an oxidizer.

Committee
Fire & Explosion Investigation
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
NFPA 921:2021 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA, 2021. Source link
Term link
Hypervariable Region

A segment of DNA that often contains polymorphisms and thus is useful for differentiating taxa or unrelated individuals.

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 130 Standard for Training in Forensic DNA Amplification Methods for Subsequent Capillary Electrophoresis Sequencing. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2021. Source link
Term link
Hypervariable Region 1 (Hv1)

A section of the human mtDNA control region spanning nucleotide positions 16024-16365, that often differs among non-maternally related individuals.

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 130 Standard for Training in Forensic DNA Amplification Methods for Subsequent Capillary Electrophoresis Sequencing. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2021. Source link
Term link
Hypervariable Region 1 (Hvi)

A section of the human mtDNA control region spanning nucleotide positions 16024-16365, that often differs among non-maternally related individuals.

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 140 Standard for Training in Forensic Human Mitochondrial DNA Analysis, Interpretation, Comparison, Statistical Evaluation, and Reporting. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2021. Source link
Term link
Hypervariable Region 2 (Hv2)

A section of the human mtDNA control region spanning nucleotide positions 73-340, that often differs among non-maternally related individuals.

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 130 Standard for Training in Forensic DNA Amplification Methods for Subsequent Capillary Electrophoresis Sequencing. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2021. Source link
Term link
Hypervariable Region 2 (Hvii)

A section of the human mtDNA control region spanning nucleotide positions 73-340, that often differs among non-maternally related individuals.

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 140 Standard for Training in Forensic Human Mitochondrial DNA Analysis, Interpretation, Comparison, Statistical Evaluation, and Reporting. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2021. Source link
Term link
Hz

Abbreviation for Hertz, which is the measure of the frequency of oscillations. It is thefundamental property of sound that determines pitch.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
Hz

Hertz is the international unit of measurement of frequency. One hertz corresponds to one cycle per second.

Committee
Speaker Recognition
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
AES 76-2022 AES Standard for Audio Forensics - Speech Collection Guidelines for Speaker Recognition: Interviewing at a Temporary Location. Audio Engineering Society, Inc., 2022. Source link
Term link
IAFIS

Acronym for the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System of the FBI.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
IAP

Acronym for Iris Acquisition Profile. It is a series of sets of progressively morestringent parameters and requirements relevant to iris acquisition. [2015a>] In theMobile ID Best Practices Recommendations Version 1, face, finger and iris applicationprofiles were all referred to as SAP. They are referred to separately in this standard.This was changed in Mobile ID Best Practices Recommendations Version 2 to beconsistent with this standard.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
IBIA

International Biometric Industry Association.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
ICAO

The International Civil Aviation Organization.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
ICC

International Color Consortium.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
Identifiable Human Group

A population of individuals based on ancestry or population specificity that reflects a similar genetic, geographic, and environmental background.

Committee
Forensic Odontology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ADA 1077-2020 Human Age Assessment by Dental Analysis. American Dental Association (ADA), 211 East Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL, 60611, 2020. Source link
Term link
identification

Assignment to the most specific class attainable 

NOTE In forensic toxicology, identification refers to determining the presence of drugs, chemicals, or toxins within a biological sample.

Committee
Forensic Toxicology
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 208, Forensic Toxicology: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
Identification
OSAC Preferred

Assignment or distinguishment of an unknown object, compound, biological sample, or other evidence to the most specific class or level reliably attainable under the analytical scheme used.
NOTE: Uncertainty and limitations always remain in any finding
NOTE: Presence of this term in the OSAC Lexicon does not endorse its use in place of relevant interpretation scale levels for the discipline or method
NOTE: Although this term is used informally, the term should not be used in written or oral interpretations or opinions for any discipline for conveying source of the evidence.

Also referenced in ASB TR 097, Terminology Used for Forensic Footwear and Tire Evidence, ANSI/ASTM E1732-24e1 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science.

Committee
FSSB
Date Added to Lexicon
Committee Source
Term link
identification document

Made or issued by or under the authority of a governmental or private organization which, when completed with information concerning a particular individual, is of a type intended or commonly accepted for the purpose of identification of individuals.

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
IEC

The International Electrotechnical Commission.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
IED

Improvised Explosive Device

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
Ignitable Liquid

Any liquid or the liquid phase of any material that is capable of fueling a fire, including a flammable liquid, combustible liquid, or any other material that can be liquefied and burned.

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
Ignitable Liquid
any liquid that is capable of fueling a fire. Discussion—(1) The liquids historically referred to as "flammable liquid" and "combustible liquid" are all considered ignitable liquids. (2) Examples of classes of ignitable liquids include aromatic products, gasoline, isoparaffinic products, naphthenic-paraffinic products, normal alkane products, oxygenated products, and petroleum distillates. Refer to Test Method E1618 for further information about these classes.
Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Ignitable Liquid Detection Canine Igl

Canines specifically trained to locate and respond to the presence of certain classes of ignitable liquids by associated odor. Also known as accelerant detector canine or arson dog.

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
Ignitable Liquid Residue(s) (ILR)
relatively small amount of ignitable liquid retained in or on a substrate.
Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Ignitible Liquid

Any combustible or flammable liquid.

Committee
Fire & Explosion Investigation
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
NFPA 921:2021 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA, 2021. Source link
Term link
Ignitible Liquid Detection Canines (Igl Canines)

Ignitible liquid detection canines (IGL canines) are dogs specifically trained to locate and respond to the presence of certain classes of ignitible liquids by associated odor.

Committee
Fire & Explosion Investigation
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
NFPA 921:2021 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA, 2021. Source link
Term link
Ignition

The process of initiating self-sustained combustion.

Committee
Fire & Explosion Investigation
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
NFPA 921:2021 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA, 2021. Source link
Term link
Ignition Energy

The quantity of heat energy that should be absorbed by a substance to ignite and burn.

Committee
Fire & Explosion Investigation
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
NFPA 921:2021 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA, 2021. Source link
Term link
Ignition Susceptibility Test (IST)
a qualitative and destructive test in which a small amount of sample is exposed to a flame or heat. Discussion—Determining the reactivity of the sample is useful in terms of initial characterization and safe handling.
Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Ignition Temperature

Minimum temperature a substance should attain in order to ignite under specific test conditions.

Committee
Fire & Explosion Investigation
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
NFPA 921:2021 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA, 2021. Source link
Term link
Ignition Time

The time between the application of an ignition source to a material and the onset of self-sustained combustion.

Committee
Fire & Explosion Investigation
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
NFPA 921:2021 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA, 2021. Source link
Term link
ILAC

International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
Illicit Drugs

Substances used non-medically that are prohibited by law, including but not limited to stimulants, cannabis, cocaine, heroin, other opioids, and MDMA.

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
Image
(1) in image and video analysis, an imitation or representation of a person or thing drawn, painted, or photographed; (2) in computer forensics see bit stream duplicate.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Image
in computer forensics, to create a bit stream duplicate of the original data.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
Digital Evidence
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
image

A visually observable counterpart of an object produced by means of imaging technology. (SWGDOC D01)

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
Image Analysis
the application of image science and domain expertise to examine and interpret the content of an image, the image itself, or both in legal matters.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
image area

That portion of the page that is printed, including the space between letters and lines. (ASTM F1457)

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
Image Averaging
in image and video analysis, the process of averaging similar images, such as sequential video frames, to reduce noise in stationary scenes.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Image Comparison, Photographic Comparison
in image analysis, the process of comparing images of questioned objects or persons to known objects or persons or images thereof and making an assessment of the correspondence between features in these images for rendering an opinion regarding identification or elimination.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Image Content Analysis
in image analysis, the drawing of conclusions about an image and targets for content analysis include, but are not limited to, the subjects/objects within an image; the conditions under which, or the process by which, the image was captured or created; the physical aspects of the scene (for example, lighting or composition); or the provenance of the image.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Image Data Recovery
in image analysis, the process of retrieving viewable image(s) from a data set.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
image density

Contrast between image and background as measured by densitometer. (ASTM F221)

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
Image Enhancement
Any process intended to improve the visual appearance of an image or specific features within an image.
Committee
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
Digital Evidence
Facial & Iris Identification
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
image enhancement

Any process intended to improve the visual appearance of an image or specific features within an image. (ASTM E2916)

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
image formation

The elements that comprise an image to include, but not limited to, continuous inked areas, halftone patterns, and dot characteristics.

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
Image Output
In image analysis, a means by which an image is presented for examination or observation.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
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