Human Iris Recognition in Post-mortem Subjects: Study and Database

TL;DR

This study investigates the feasibility of post-mortem human iris recognition over a period of up to 17 days after death, providing a new database and analysis that challenge previous assumptions about iris usability after demise.

Contribution

It introduces the first known database of post-mortem iris images and analyzes iris recognition viability over time using four different methods.

Findings

Post-mortem iris recognition is possible up to 17 days after death.

Iris quality decay occurs but recognition can still succeed in short-term and some long-term cases.

The study provides a publicly available dataset for further research.

Abstract

This paper presents a unique study of post-mortem human iris recognition and the first known to us database of near-infrared and visible-light iris images of deceased humans collected up to almost 17 days after death. We used four different iris recognition methods to analyze the dynamics of iris quality decay in short-term comparisons (samples collected up to 60 hours after death) and long-term comparisons (for samples acquired up to 407 hours after demise). This study shows that post-mortem iris recognition is possible and occasionally works even 17 days after death. These conclusions contradict a promulgated rumor that iris is unusable shortly after decease. We make this dataset publicly available to let others verify our findings and to research new aspects of this important and unfamiliar topic. We are not aware of any earlier papers offering post-mortem human iris images and such comprehensive analysis employing four different matchers.