Fingerprint identification is one of the most well-known and publicized biometrics. Because of their uniqueness and consistency over time, fingerprints have ...ShareTweetLinkCommentWhatisFingerprintIdentification?StephenMayhewCategoriesExplainingBiometrics | FingerprintRecognitionFingerprintidentificationisoneofthemostwell-knownandpublicizedbiometrics.Becauseoftheiruniquenessandconsistencyovertime,fingerprintshavebeenusedforidentificationforoveracentury,morerecentlybecomingautomated(i.e.abiometric)duetoadvancementsincomputingcapabilities.Fingerprintidentificationispopularbecauseoftheinherenteaseinacquisition,thenumeroussources(10fingers)availableforcollection,andtheirestablisheduseandcollectionsbylawenforcementandimmigration.ThepracticeofusingfingerprintsasamethodofidentifyingindividualshasbeeninusesincethelatenineteenthcenturywhenSirFrancisGaltondefinedsomeofthepointsorcharacteristicsfromwhichfingerprintscanbeidentified.These“GaltonPoints”arethefoundationforthescienceoffingerprintidentification,whichhasexpandedandtransitionedoverthepastcentury.Fingerprintidentificationbeganitstransitiontoautomationinthelate1960salongwiththeemergenceofcomputingtechnologies.Withtheadventofcomputers,asubsetoftheGaltonPoints,referredtoasminutiae,hasbeenutilizedtodevelopautomatedfingerprinttechnology.Afingerprintusuallyappearsasaseriesofdarklinesthatrepresentthehigh,peakingportionofthefrictionridgeskin,whilethevalleybetweentheseridgesappearsaswhitespaceandarethelow,shallowportionofthefrictionridgeskin.Fingerprintidentificationisbasedprimarilyontheminutiae,orthelocationanddirectionoftheridgeendingsandbifurcations(splits)alongaridgepath.Avarietyofsensortypes—optical,capacitive,ultrasound,andthermal—areusedforcollectingthedigitalimageofafingerprintsurface.Opticalsensorstakeanimageofthefingerprint,andarethemostcommonsensortoday.Thetwomaincategoriesoffingerprintmatchingtechniquesareminutiae-basedmatchingandpatternmatching.Patternmatchingsimplycomparestwoimagestoseehowsimilartheyare.Patternma