Tattoo-ID: comparing tattoos for personal identification.
A researcher from Michigan State University has developed an automatic image search and identification system that allows law enforcement agencies to compare scars, birthmarks, and tattoos to identify suspects and victims of crimes.
“Traditionally, people identify themselves using passports, licenses, or personal identification numbers, but there are concerns about the reliability and security of these identification credentials,” said Anil Jain, a professor of computer science and engineering at Michigan State University. “There is a need to recognize people based on physiological parameters, such as a fingerprint, iris, or face. This is the area of biometric recognition that we have been working on for the last 15 years.” Biometrics uses anatomical or behavioral characteristics to identify a person. Jain takes biometric recognition to the next level by adding the ability to recognize scars, birthmarks, and tattoos to the suite of identification tools used by law enforcement, government, and the military.
Tattoo-ID, created by Jain, works with law enforcement databases that contain photographs of scars, birthmarks, and tattoos. Each tattoo photo in the database is linked to the criminal histories of all suspects and convicted criminals who have them. When a user, such as a police officer, makes a tattoo search, the system automatically finds the most similar image along with the criminal history linked to that image in the database.
“About 20% of the population has at least one tattoo, and the percentage is even higher for criminals,” Jain notes. “In reality, many gangsters have distinctive tattoos that symbolize their affiliation with a particular gang. With tattoos becoming more popular, it makes sense to use this data.”
Jane also claims that if a police officer detains a person who has no identification documents or fake documents, but has a tattoo, the system will help to identify and arrest suspects in a crime.
“Currently, the only way to identify someone by their tattoo is to manually search through tattoo databases and try to visually match key features. This process is very time-consuming and often inaccurate,” says Jane. “Even if a scar, birthmark or tattoo cannot reliably identify a person, it can at least help narrow down the range of potential suspects. A tattoo can indicate membership in a particular criminal group, social or religious affiliation, or military unit.”
The new system will also help to establish the identity of the deceased, including in mass disasters.
Figure: When asked to recognize a tattoo, the Tattoo-ID system automatically calculates distinctive dots and then finds a similar tattoo in the database based on the largest number of matching dots. Figure A shows a reliably found tattoo that matched 194 dots. Figure B shows a tattoo that was incorrectly found with only 47 matching points.
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