FORDISC
Definition
Forensic Discriminant Computer program, developed by Ousley and Jantz at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Performs discriminant-function analysis on user-supplied craniometric measurements against user-selected reference groups, returning a classification, posterior probability, and typicality probability.
- Developers
- Ousley and Jantz, University of Tennessee Knoxville
- Primary training data
- US Forensic Databank
- Accuracy on Indian skulls
- Approximately 79 percent
Common questions
What does FORDISC do?+
FORDISC is software that analyzes skull measurements to estimate ancestry and sex. You input craniometric measurements, select reference populations, and the program performs discriminant analysis to classify the remains and assign probability scores.
Who developed FORDISC?+
Ousley and Jantz at the University of Tennessee Knoxville created FORDISC. The tool relies on training data from the US Forensic Databank and returns classification, posterior probability, and typicality probability for each analysis.
How accurate is FORDISC on non-US skulls?+
Accuracy depends on the reference group selected. Studies show approximately 79 percent accuracy on Indian skulls when tested against the standard database, though results vary with population and measurement quality.
Related terms
- Typicality Probability
- In FORDISC analysis, the probability that the unknown skull is a typical member of the best-matching reference group, based on Mahalanobis distance....
- Anterior Nasal Spine (ANS)
- A morphoscopic trait: the bony projection at the inferior border of the nasal aperture, scored on a 0-3 scale from absent to...
- Cranial Robusticity
- The overall size and prominence of bony surface features on the skull, reflecting body size and musculature. Males are on average more...
- Discriminant Function Analysis
- A multivariate statistical technique that derives linear combinations of measurements to maximally separate two or more groups (male and female). The resulting...
- Forensic Data Bank (FDB)
- The modern documented skeletal sample within FORDISC, built from cases submitted by US medical examiners since the late 1980s. Provides reference data...
- Glabella
- The midline prominence on the frontal bone between the superciliary arches. Scored 1 (flat, female) to 5 (highly prominent, male). Correlated with...
- Gonial Angle
- The angle at the posterior inferior corner of the mandible (gonion) where the ramus meets the body. Males: more acute and everted;...
- Howells Craniometric Database
- A dataset of 82 standard craniometric measurements on over 2,500 adult skulls from more than 30 population groups worldwide, assembled by W.W....
- Malar Tubercle
- A small bony protuberance on the inferior surface of the malar (zygomatic) bone, scored as present or absent. Higher frequency in East...
- Mastoid Process
- The conical projection inferior to the external auditory meatus on the temporal bone. Attachment for sternocleidomastoid and splenius capitis muscles. Scored 1...
- Mental Eminence
- The bony chin prominence of the mandible. Scored 1 (slight, triangular, female) to 5 (pronounced, squared, male). Used both in cranial scoring...
- Morphoscopic Traits
- Non-metric cranial features assessed on ordinal or nominal scales (anterior nasal spine, malar tubercle, nasal bone shape, post-bregmatic depression, inferior nasal aperture...
Explained in these topics
- Ancestry from Cranial Morphology and FORDISCForensic Discriminant Computer program, developed by Ousley and Jantz at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Performs discriminant-function analysis on user...
- Sex Estimation from the Skull and MandibleForensic Discriminant Functions software (Ousley and Jantz, University of Tennessee). Applies discriminant analysis to standardised craniometric measurements f...