Biometrics
Definition
The measurement and statistical analysis of biological characteristics for identity verification or identification; forensic modalities include fingerprint, palm print, face, iris, voice, and vein recognition.
- Definition scope
- Measurement and statistical analysis of biological traits
- Forensic modalities
- Fingerprint, palm print, face, iris, voice, vein
- Purpose
- Identity verification (1:1) or identification (1:N)
- Field
- Biometric identification
Common questions
What is the difference between biometric verification and identification?+
Verification checks a single claimed identity against one stored template (a 1:1 comparison), while identification searches a whole database to find who a sample belongs to (a 1:N comparison). Forensic casework typically involves identification against a large database, which carries a higher chance of a false match than a simple verification check.
Why do different biometric modalities have different reliability for forensic use?+
Fingerprint and iris patterns are highly stable and distinctive over a lifetime, while voice and gait can shift with age, illness, or intent to disguise, which is why courts and laboratories weigh modalities differently and often prefer physiological traits over behavioural ones for individualisation claims.
Related terms
- ACE-V
- Analysis, Comparison, Evaluation, Verification: the four-stage method for latent print examination used by accredited forensic fingerprint laboratories. Analysis examines the latent in...
- AFIS
- Automated Fingerprint Identification System: a digital database and search engine that encodes friction ridge minutiae from ten-print cards and latent impressions, returning...
- ENFSI FWG
- ENFSI Fingerprint Working Group: the inter-laboratory coordination body within the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes that harmonises fingerprint examination methodology, runs...
- Forensic Voice Comparison
- The examination of two or more voice recordings to assess whether they share a common speaker source, using auditory-acoustic analysis and/or automatic...
- Galton Features
- The set of observable ridge events catalogued by Francis Galton in his 1892 monograph, including ridge endings, bifurcations, and enclosed formations. The...
- Henry Classification System
- The fingerprint filing and retrieval system developed by Edward Henry with Haque and Bose in Bengal in the 1890s and adopted by...
- Latent Print
- An invisible or barely visible impression of friction ridge skin deposited on a surface by eccrine sweat and sebum, requiring a development...
- NAFIS
- National Automated Fingerprint Identification System: India's centralised fingerprint database operated by the NCRB, launched 2022, designed to aggregate state police and CFSL...
- NGI
- Next Generation Identification: the FBI's AFIS system launched 2014, successor to IAFIS; holds over 160 million ten-print criminal records plus palm prints,...