Biometrics is the science of measuring and analyzing human body characteristics for authentication purposes. Major biometrics include face, fingerprints, and irises. Fingerprints are uniquely persistent and can be used for positive identification through analysis of ridge and minutiae patterns, such as bifurcations and ridge endings. Fingerprint images are typically stored and classified according to international standards that define format, resolution, and quality parameters.

1. Biometrics
• Biometrics is the science and technology of
measuring and analyzing biological data
• In information technology, biometrics refers to
technologies that measure and analyze human
body characteristics, such as fingerprints, eye
retinas and irises, voice patterns, facial patterns
and hand measurements, for authentication
purposes.

2. Definition of Biometric
Recognition
Verification
1:1
Yes/NO
Identification
1:N
A
A
A

3. Major biometrics
face
fingerprint
iris

4. ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 37 Standards
ISO/IEC 19785-1: 2006
Common Biometric
Exchange
Formats Framework
(CBEFF)
Biometric information record
format, including header,
biometric data and security block
Has procedures for Registration
Authority to come up with own
data format
ISO/IEC 19794: 2006 Face, finger, palm, iris, vascular
image data
Finger templates: minutiae,
spectral, skeletal
Specifies data storage format
conforming to 19785
ISO/IEC 19784:2006
Biometric Application
Programming Interface
(BioAPI)
Framework for use of multiple
biometric technologies/ vendors.
Covers enrollment, verification,
identification and database
interface. Provides interface for
storage, search and management
of biometric data.
Conforms to ISO/IEC 19794,
19785

5. Fingerprint
• A fingerprint is an
impression of the friction
ridges found on the inner
surface of a finger or a
thumb.
• The science of
fingerprinting constitutes
the only unchangeable
and infallible means of
positive identification
known to man

6. Why Fingerprint
• Ridge patterns and the details in small
areas of friction ridges are unique and
never repeated.
• Friction ridges develop on the fetus in their
definitive form before birth.
• Ridges are persistent throughout life
except for permanent scarring.
• Friction ridge patterns vary within limits
which allow for classification

7. Friction Ridges
• On the palmar surface of the hands and feet are
raised surfaces called friction ridges.
• Friction ridges are formed during fetal
development where their unique characteristics
emerge due to genetic and epigenetic factors
(maternal diet, pH, temperature, movement of the
fetus, etc.).
• Even identical twins do not have the same
fingerprints.

8. Minutiae
• Minutiae, in fingerprinting terms, are the
points of interest in a fingerprint, such as
bifurcations (a ridge splitting into two) and
ridge endings.

9. Ridge Bifurcation
• the ridge bifurcation is
the point where the
ridge splits into two or
more branches.

10. Ridge endings
• A ridge ending is
defined as the point
where the ridge ends
abruptly.

11. Short ridges
• Short ridges (or dots)
are ridges which are
significantly shorter
than the average ridge
length on the
fingerprint.

12. Thinned Image
• This is a result to a false
minutiae (i.e. false
bifurcation and false end
point.
• These false minutiae
must be detected and
deleted from the initial
minutiae set.
• A thinned image shows in
the figure where P1, P2
are a pair of false end
point and P3 is a false
bifurcation.

13. Finger Print Classification
Ten-print classification
Roscher System Vuvetich System Henry System
Developed in Germany
and implemented in Both
Germany and Japan
Developed in
Argentina and
Implemented in
South Africa
Developed in India
And implemented
In most English-
Speaking Country

14. Henry System
• There are three basic fingerprint patters:
Arc(5 % population), Loop(60 - 65 %) and Whorl(30
- 35 % population).

15. In the Loop pattern there are two
focal points: the Core and the Delta
• The Center of the loop
is defined as Core.
• The delta is the area
of pattern where there
is a triangular or a
dividing of the ridge.

16. Core and Delta in the Whorl Pattern
• A Whorl pattern will
have two or more
deltas. For a whorl
pattern, all deltas and
the areas between
them must be
recorded

17. Fingerprint sensors
Optical Sensor (by L1)
 500 dpi, 25mm × 25mm
 Good quality image
 Dirt, latent fingerprints
Capacitive Sensor (by Fujitsu)
 500 dpi, 12.8mm x 15.0mm
 Electro-static discharge, Nosiy,
Moisture dependent
 Light
Thermal Sensor (by ATMEL)
 500 dpi, 0.4mm ×14mm
 Artifacts in image
 Reduced function in warm weather
Ultrasound Sensor (by Ultra-scan)
 500 dpi
 Capture of difficult fingers
possible
 Bulky
RF modulation Sensor (by Authentec)
 500 dpi , 9.75mm x 0.81mm
 Electro-static discharge
 Light, Low cost
FBI standard requires 500 dpi resolution
for minutiae data

18. ISO 19794-4 provides flexible fingerprint
image storage format
Scan resolution 125 dpi - 1000 dpi
Image
resolution
<= Scan resolution
Gray levels 2 – 200 (up to 65536)
Number of
fingers/palms
>=1
Image
compression
algorithm
Uncompressed, bit-
packed, JPEG, JPEG
2000, WSQ, PNG
Finger/palm
position
0-15, 20-36
Number of
views
1-256
Finger/palm
image quality
0-100
ANSI/NCITS 358-2002,
“BioAPI H-Level
Specification Version
1.1”.
Impression
type
Live/inked, plain/
rolled, latent, swipe,
live contactless
Horiz. line
length
2 bytes (65536 values)
Vert. line
length
2 bytes (65536 values)
Image data < 43x108
bytes

19. Scan resolution
• The number of pixels per unit distance
used by a sensor or scanning device to
initially capture a fingerprint or palm print
image.
• It should be 125 ppi - 1000 ppi.
• 125 ppi is sufficient for verification (1:1
match).
• 500 ppi to 1000 dpi is used for higher
security or for identification (1:N match).

20. Image Resolution
• The number of pixels per unit distance in
the interchanged image.
• The image resolution <=Scan resolution
(i.e125 ppi to 1000 ppi)

21. Grey Scale level