NCJ Number
58054
Date Published
1978
Length
27 pages
Annotation
THE MODEL FOR FINGERPRINT CHARACTERISTICS IN TERMS OF MULTINOMIAL TRIALS ON A GRID OF CELLS IS EXTENDED IN THIS STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF PROBABILITIES.
Abstract
THE OCCURRENCE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS IS MODELED AS A TWO-DIMENSIONAL MARKOV PROCESS. THE INDIVIDUALITY OF A FINGERPRINT IS BASED ON THE PATTERN OF OCCURRENCE OF THE RIDGE-LINE DETAILS. THESE MINUTIAE, CALLED GALTON CHARACTERISTICS, ARE OF TEN TYPES, INCLUDING ISLANDS, BRIDGES, SPURS, DOTS, RIDGE ENDINGS, FORKS (BIFURCATIONS), LAKES', TRIFURCATIONS, DOUBLE BIFURCATIONS, AND DELTAS. THE ESTIMATION OF FINGERPRINT PROBALITIES BASED ON GALTON CHARACTERISTICS WAS TREATED ACCORDING TO THREE ASSUMPTIONS. FIRST, A FINGERPRINT IS CONSIDERED IN TERMS OF A GRID OF ONE MILLIMETER CELLS. SECOND, FOR EACH CELL OF THE GRID THERE ARE 13 POSSIBILITIES, EITHER THE CELL IS EMPTY OR ONE OF THE MINUTIA OR MULTIPLE OCCURRENCE OF MINUTIAE ARE PRESENT. THIRD, THERE IS STATISTICAL INDEPENDENCE BETWEEN CELLS. PROBABILITIES WITH REGARD TO THESE ASSUMPTIONS ARE PRESENTED. STATISTICAL DATA, TABLES, REFERENCES, AND FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN DATA ANALYSIS OF DEPENDENCE BETWEEN CELLS, SOME REMARKS ON THE TWO-DIMENSIONAL PROCESSES, AND INFINITELY DIVISIBLE RANDOM VECTORS. (LWM)