Next Generation Fingerprint Technologies

Summary

Conventional fingerprint capture technologies for criminal justice have steadily evolved over the past 3 decades in the following progression: inked fingers on cards -> inked cards on flatbed scanners -> livescan of fingers -> fast tenprint capture of slaps. Meanwhile civilian use of fingerprints and applications of Mobile ID have spawned numerous types of optical, solid state, swipe, and other novel fingerprint sensors. This effort strategically focusses on new trends and innovations in fingerprint capture technologies looking to address standards, performance, and interoperability requirements.

Description

Contactless Fingerprint Capture

This project is conducting research in support of emerging non-contact fingerprint acquisition devices. Issues being addressed include: data format standards, best practices, development of methods for certification testing, and assessment of interoperability with legacy contact-based devices. 

Statistical Friction Ridge Analysis (SFRA)

SFRA aims to develop a statistical measure of the uncertainty of the decisions made on the friction ridge evidence (i.e., evidential value of fingerprint comparison), which ultimately can be referred to as a scientific basis of the identification decisions made in friction ridge analysis.

Fast Tenprint Capture

The evaluation of Fast Tenprint Capture devices is threefold. The first is the absolute measurement, i.e., stipulating the specifications and designing targets to implement specifications. The second is the relative measurement for interoperability, namely, matching 2-d rolled-equivalent fingerprint images produced using FTC devices against those collected from certified live scanners. The third is the evaluation of the real time of completing one transaction carried out by an FTC device.