OSAC Lexicon

A test conducted (single- or double-blind) in an operational environment in which the canine team will be deployed or utilized.

A test conducted (single- or double-blind) in an operational environment in which the canine team will be deployed or utilized.

A test conducted (single- or double-blind) in an operational environment in which the canine team will be deployed or utilized.

A process that attests to the successful completion of an examination of relevant skills for the canine team to be deployed on operations.

A person's years of training and experience related to mission specific objectives.

A test of the canine's olfactory ability to alert to target odor(s) in a controlled manner that the odor is readily available, but still visibly concealed from the canine and handler. Commonly, the baggage/parcels assessment is utilized for an operational odor recognition assessment.

Training conducted beyond the initial training of a discipline, designed to maintain a high level of competence or skill by ensuring the canine team's capability to perform desired tasks.

Training conducted beyond the initial training of a discipline, designed to maintain a high level of competence or skill by ensuring the team's capability to perform desired tasks.

Training conducted beyond the initial training of a discipline, designed to maintain a high level of competence or skill by ensuring the team's capability to perform desired tasks.

Training conducted beyond the initial training of a discipline and designed to maintain a high level of competence or skill by ensuring the canine team's capability to perform desired tasks.

See mission requirements.

See deployment.

View, judgment, belief - takes into consideration other information in addition to observations, data, calculations, and interpretations.

Also referenced in ANSI/ASB 167 Standard for Reporting Results from Friction Ridge Examinations.

ordinally ranked predefined verbal expressions for different degrees of strength of opinion 

Note 1 to entry: See ISO 21043-4:2025, Annex B for examples of opinion scale.
 

the acute angle between two optic axes of a biaxial crystal.

a direction of isotropic light propagation in an anisotropic crystal. Uniaxial crystals have one optic axis; biaxial crystals have two optic axes.

determined by the relationship of the refractive indices of a material. For uniaxial crystals, if ε > ω, the crystal is positive (+); if ω > ε, the crystal is negative (-). For biaxial crystals, if γ-β > β-α, the crystal is positive (+); if γ-β < β-α, the crystal is negative (-).

Height of the surface at position (x, y).

Organization responsible for recovering organs from donors.

A method of isolating DNA from cells involving phenol and other organic chemicals.

The general location where a fire or explosion began. (See Point of Origin, or Area of Origin.)

The document or other substrate with the handwriting, machine, or other markings that caused indentation(s) on a document(s) or other substrate beneath it (the recipient document).

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees is part of an initiative by NIST and the Department of Justice to strengthen forensic science in the US. The organization is a collaborative body of more than 500 forensic science practicioners and other experts. NIST established OSAC to support the development and promulgation of forensic science consensus documentary standards and guidelines, and to ensure that a sufficient scientific basis exists for each discipline. See the OSAC website.

Technique that uses skeletal measurements and statistical models to objectively compare size and shape relationships between elements.

Ordinate values within a dataset that received an erroneous signal during the measurement and nolonger represent the real surface. These often appear as spikes in the dataset. Detection methodsinclude local slope and neighboring height thresholding.

A term used to describe a specific pattern or arrangement of design elements on an outsoletypically associated with a manufacturer and having a name and/or style number.

Any current in excess of the rated current of equipment or the ampacity of a conductor; it may result from an overload (see short circuit or ground fault).

A fire fighting term involving the process of final extinguishment after the main body of the fire has been knocked down. All traces of fire must be extinguished at this time.

Operation of equipment in excess of normal, full-load rating or of a conductor in excess of rated ampacity that, where it persists for a sufficient length of time, would cause damage or dangerous overheating. A fault, such as a short circuit or ground fault, is not an overload.

A substance, not necessarily containing oxygen, that causes oxidation.

Insufficiency of oxygen to support combustion. (See also Ventilation-Controlled Fire)

The roof of the mouth separating the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. Canines have a bony hard palate and a soft tissue extension called the soft palate.

The roof of the mouth separating the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. Canines have a bony hard palate and a soft tissue extension called the soft palate.

A friction ridge image from the palm (side and underside) of the hand. A full palm printincludes the area from the wrist to the tips of the fingers.

Acronym for Palm print Acquisition Profile. It is a series of sets of progressively morestringent parameters and requirements relevant to palm print acquisition.