Performance Measurement and Method Analysis (PMMA) for Fingerprint Reconstruction

TL;DR

This paper reviews fingerprint reconstruction techniques, discusses cases of fingerprint obliteration by offenders, and evaluates methods and performance measurement approaches for fingerprint reconstruction.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of fingerprint obliteration cases and analyzes various fingerprint reconstruction methods and their performance metrics.

Findings

Offenders use various methods to obliterate fingerprints.

Fingerprint reconstruction techniques vary in effectiveness.

Performance measurement is crucial for evaluating reconstruction methods.

Abstract

Fingerprint reconstruction is one of the most well-known and publicized biometrics. Because of their uniqueness and consistency over time, fingerprints have been used for identification over a century, more recently becoming automated due to advancements in computed capabilities. Fingerprint reconstruction is popular because of the inherent ease of acquisition, the numerous sources (e.g. ten fingers) available for collection, and their established use and collections by law enforcement and immigration. Fingerprints have always been the most practical and positive means of identification. Offenders, being well aware of this, have been coming up with ways to escape identification by that means. Erasing left over fingerprints, using gloves, fingerprint forgery; are certain examples of methods tried by them, over the years. Failing to prevent themselves, they moved to an extent of mutilating their finger skin pattern, to remain unidentified. This article is based upon obliteration of finger ridge patterns and discusses some known cases in relation to the same, in chronological order; highlighting the reasons why offenders go to an extent of performing such act. The paper gives an overview of different methods and performance measurement of the fingerprint reconstruction.