Accuracy and reliability of feature selection by Chinese fingerprint examiners

• Published in: Forensic sciences research Vol. 2; no. 4; pp. 203 - 209
• Main Authors: Liu, Shiquan, Mi, Zhongliang, Langenburg, Glenn M., Wu, Jian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 01-01-2017; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Accuracy; ACE-V; feature selection; fingerprint; Fingerprinting; Forensic science; Forensic sciences; minutiae; Original; reliability; Reproducibility; China; Forensic science; minutiae; reproducibility; reliability; fingerprint; feature selection; ACE-V
• ISSN: 2096-1790; 2471-1411
• DOI: 10.1080/20961790.2017.1375449

The selection of minutiae is a critical part of the analysis phase within the fingerprint identification methodology, known as analysis-comparison-evaluation-verification. This study assessed the accuracy and reliability of the minutiae selections of 92 Chinese fingerprint examiners during the analysis phase, absent an exemplar print, of the fingerprint identification process. Specifically, we measured the accuracy (trueness) of their annotation of minutiae, and we measured their reliability which is the reproducibility and repeatability in their annotations in one complex mark by using R software. We observed significant variation within inter- and intra-examiner annotations of the minutiae. We saw no statistically significant differences for the variability of minutiae annotations based on the participant's sex or years of experience.