Finger Biometric Technologies

Fingerprint biometrics is the most lengthily used and recognized of all the biometrics. Since the fingerprint has been used as a form of gratitude for a long time, it has both receiving and fear. People believe in general that fingerprints are single and can be used to recognize someone. This trust comes from governmental and law enforcement use of fingerprints. At the same time, their use of the fingerprint also causes fear about its use. Some persons involved with fingerprint confirmation for network right of entry have articulated the emotion that using their fingerprint for verification makes they feel like a criminal. This feeling can lead to fear of the use of fingerprint biometrics. As explained in this book, the use of biometrics must be accompanied with proper user training and communications. By doing so, biometrics can be seen as a privacy-enabling technology, not a technology to be feared. Even with the anxiety over the use of fingerprints, the finger biometric still remains more widely conventional than any other biometric.

Look at your fingerprints. What features do you see? Do they look crusty and clear, or wilted and encrusted? Are your fingers dry or greasy? What type of work or hobbies do you do that engage your hands? The definition and excellence of the finger skin can greatly pressure how well a print will be imaged. The work or hobbies that one does can also authority the quality of a print. People who spend a lot of time operational with their hands tend to have rougher and less-defined fingerprints. These factors can authority how well someone will be able to use fingerprint biometrics. In this chapter, we will see that some fingerprint scanning devices are better at scanning dry, less-defined fingerprints and others are better at greasy fingerprint types.

General explanation of Fingerprints

The general categorization of fingerprints used today came from the work of Sir Edward Henry, who published his book, categorization and Use of Fingerprints, in 1900. This work forms the basis for modern-day fingerprint forensics. Fingerprints are recognized by both macro and micro features. The macro features of a fingerprint include:

·         Ridge patterns

·         Ridge pattern area

·         Core point

·         Delta point

·         Type lines

·         Ridge count