AUTOMATED CLASSIFICATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF FINGERPRINTS

• NCJ Number: 38657
• Author(s): J H WEGSTEIN
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 17 pages
• Contract Number(s): 6J01400
• Corporate Author: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• Sale Source: National Technical Information Service; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A DESCRIPTION OF A METHOD OF CLASSIFYING AND MATCHING FINGERPRINTS USING AUTOMATIC READING OF MINUTIAE (RIDGE ENDINGS AND BIFURCATIONS) AND RIDGE DIRECTION DATA.

Abstract

DATA READ BY THE FBI'S AUTOMATIC FINGERPRINT READER SYSTEM MUST UNDERGO THREE PROCESSING STEPS TO ACHIEVE FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATIONS. FIRST, THE DATA MUST BE 'REGISTERED' TO A STANDARD REFERENCE POSITION FOR SUBSEQUENT COMPARISON PURPOSES. NEXT, THE DATA ARE 'CLASSIFIED' INTO SUITABLE CATEGORIES FOR FILING AND RETRIEVAL PURPOSES. FINALLY, THE DATA ARE 'MATCHED' AGAINST OTHER FINGERPRINT DATA OF THE SAME CLASSIFICATION BY COMPARING THEIR DISTINCTIVE MINUTIAE. COMPUTER ALGORITHMS FOR THESE PROCESSING STEPS ARE DISCUSSED AND REPRESENTATIVE RESULTS PRESENTED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)