- Email: [email protected]
Police combine fingerprint recognition with tests that reveal gender and drugs
TECHNOLOGY
www.biometrics-today.com
ISSN 0969-4765 April 2014
law enforcement
Contents
US authorities capture long-time fugitive with facial recognition
L
aw enforcement authority use of facial recognition technology has had a high profile success with the capture of long-time fugitive James Robert Jones. The convicted killer escaped from the maximum-security military prison at Fort Leavenworth in the US nearly 40 years ago. The authorities caught up with him after using facial recognition technology to match
a driver’s licence he was issued in 1981 in his new name against his old military photograph. This comes as Seattle Police prepare to use facial recognition software allowing officers to compare photos captured by surveillance cameras with a database of 350,000 facial images. The city is reported to be using a $1.6m grant from the US Department of Homeland Security to fund the programme.
Nuance Forensics identifies voice evidence for use in court
N
uance Communications has released Nuance Forensics, a voice biometrics solution that assists law enforcement officials and forensic experts with criminal investigations, as well as with the prosecution and defence of suspects. This tool uses Nuance’s voice biometrics technology to assist in confirming or refuting the identity of individuals based on audio files that are used during investigations. Law enforcement and forensic officials no longer need to listen to hours of audio record-
ings collected during investigations. Nuance Forensics pinpoints the conversations of interest by filtering out from the audio recordings those that do not include the suspect’s voice. Forensic experts can now use voice biometric technology to analyse accurately the recorded voices entered into evidence. The data obtained through this forensics analysis with voice biometrics includes comprehensive and forensic standards-based reports, such as loglikelihood ratios and ‘tippet plots’, to establish the strength of the audio evidence in court.
Police combine fingerprint recognition with tests that reveal gender and drugs
U
K police are testing technology that combines recognition with tests that reveal traces of drugs and other substances and can determine the gender of the person leaving the fingerprints and may soon be able to establish their age. Conventionally, fingermarks found at the scene of a crime are lifted after using a powder to enhance them, and are then compared with prints on a police database to identify a suspect. Researchers at Sheffield Hallam University
TODAY
biometric
(SHU) used mass spectrometry to analyse fingerprints. An image was then created of the fingerprint to allow the team to establish any traces of drugs or other substances. SHU researchers also discovered that the cooking spice turmeric could be used as the powder to lift fingermarks. The technology, known as Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI-MSI), has been developed by researchers at the University’s Biomedical Research Centre (BMRC) who have been working with Continued on page 2...
News US authorities capture long-time fugitive with facial recognition 1 Nuance Forensics identifies voice evidence for use in court
1
Police combine fingerprint recognition with tests that reveal gender and drugs 1 Animetrics targets commercial sector with FaceR API
2
DHS reviews biometrics vendors
2
Google and Facebook decline privacy invite as Facebook boosts FR
2
App to use facial recognition to spot medical conditions
3
Aurora reveals LFW-topping face recognition
3
Global mobile biometrics to see 156.9% growth over five years
3
Apple forges ahead with biometrics
3
VoiceVault unveils ViGo voice biometrics for mobile
12
NIST publishes compression guidance for fingerprint images
12
ImageWare Systems and T-Systems pilot integration of products
12
Features Financial services sector puts voice biometrics at heart of fraud battle Steve Gold reports
5
Real world implementation of facial recognition systems Dr Nick Whitehead of Atkins and Hugh Carr-Archer of Aurora discuss the issues.
9
Regulars Events Calendar
3
News in Brief
4
Product News
4
Company News
4
Comment
12
ISSN 0969-4765/14 © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This journal and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by Elsevier Ltd, and the following terms and conditions apply to their use: Photocopying Single photocopies of single articles may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale, and all forms of document delivery. Special rates are available for educational institutions that wish to make photocopies for non-profit educational classroom use.
NEWS
Editorial Office: Elsevier Ltd The Boulevard Langford Lane Kidlington Oxford OX5 1GB, UK Fax: +44 (0) 1865 843973 Email: [email protected] Website: www.biometrics-today.com Publisher: David Hopwood Editor: Tracey Caldwell Email: [email protected] Production Support Manager: Lin Lucas Email: [email protected] Subscription Information An annual subscription to Biometric Technology Today includes 10 issues and online access for up to 5 users. Prices: 1209 for all European countries & Iran US$1307 for all countries except Europe and Japan ¥160 700 for Japan (Prices valid until 31 December 2014) To subscribe send payment to the address above. Tel: +44 (0)1865 843687 or via www.biometrics-today.com Subscriptions run for 12 months, from the date payment is received.
...Continued from front page West Yorkshire Police to trial the technology on fingerprints left at scenes of crime. MALDI-MSI, which is a technology normally used to map different molecules within tissue sections, produces multiple images of fingermarks which are made up of materials from the surface of the skin and from gland secretions. The team, led by Dr Simona Francese, has been lifting marks from crimes and taking them back to the university’s laboratories to test for traces of drugs, hair and cleaning products and condom lubricants as well as other substances of forensic interest. In laboratory settings the technology may be used to determine the gender of the criminal. West Yorkshire Police’s regional head of identification services, Neil Denison says, “This research presents an exciting opportunity to enhance fingerprint capability beyond just identification. We may soon be able to accurately age fingermarks and by analysing the constituent parts of the finger impression, profile the habits of the offender.”
DHS reviews biometrics vendors
This newsletter and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by Elsevier Ltd, and the following terms and conditions apply to their use: Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier Global Rights Department, PO Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: +44 1865 843830, fax: +44 1865 853333, email: [email protected]. You may also contact Global Rights directly through Elsevier’s home page (www.elsevier.com), selecting first ‘Support & contact’, then ‘Copyright & permission’. In the USA, users may clear permissions and make payments through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA; phone: +1 978 750 8400, fax: +1 978 750 4744, and in the UK through the Copyright Licensing Agency Rapid Clearance Service (CLARCS), 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP, UK; phone: +44 (0)20 7631 5555; fax: +44 (0)20 7631 5500. Other countries may have a local reprographic rights agency for payments. Derivative Works Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution. Permission of the Publisher is required for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. Electronic Storage or Usage Permission of the Publisher is required to store or use electronically any material contained in this journal, including any article or part of an article. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Publisher. Address permissions requests to: Elsevier Science Global Rights Department, at the mail, fax and email addresses noted above. Notice No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/ or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical (medical) standards, inclusion in this publication does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made of it by its manufacturer.
12985 Digitally Produced by
Mayfield Press (Oxford) Ltd
2
Biometric Technology Today
Research company Gartner estimates that the market for API management tools alone will grow 40% this year, driven by cloud computing and smart mobile devices. “Our goal is to extend the reach of our facial recognition capability beyond our core markets, enabling partners to leverage our assets to build innovative products while at the same time making our core technology more pervasive in the marketplace,” says Paul Schuepp, Animetrics president and CEO. One commercial use under consideration is superimposing spectacles onto a 3D face, so prospective purchasers can virtually shop for frames. Other commercial uses include targeted marketing, authentication, security, games and mobile apps. Future releases of FaceR will offer additional 3D facial capabilities including access to the actual 3D model. Animetrics will continue to focus on developing applications for the law enforcement and government markets and will run FaceR API software as a service (SaaS) business in parallel.
T
Police trial Sheffield Hallam University fingerprint tech.
Animetrics targets commercial sector with FaceR API
he US Homeland Security Department is reported to have switched vendors for a deal to update an employee badge system with biometric verification features, such as face and iris scans. According to Nextgov, DHS originally awarded the $102.8m contract to HP Enterprise Services in September 2013, but in November the department notified the Government Accountability Office that it was re-evaluating the award after XTec, which had previously provided software for the project, argued that the agency did not reasonably evaluate proposals. DHS awarded the new contract to XTec on 28 February.
facial recognition
A
nimetrics, developer of advanced 3D facial recognition and identity management solutions for law enforcement and the military, has released its first API for commercial licensing, called FaceR. FaceR makes it possible for software developers to write programs based on Animetrics’ 2D to 3D technology, which is used in law enforcement agencies worldwide and within the US Department of Defense. The FaceR API represents Animetrics’ first foray into the commercial space.
Google and Facebook decline privacy invite as Facebook boosts FR
G
oogle and Facebook declined to deliver facial recognition presentations at a National Telecommunications & Information Administration stakeholder meeting on the topic scheduled in March, reports Broadcasting & Cable.
April 2014
www.biometrics-today.com
ISSN 0969-4765 April 2014
law enforcement
Contents
US authorities capture long-time fugitive with facial recognition
L
aw enforcement authority use of facial recognition technology has had a high profile success with the capture of long-time fugitive James Robert Jones. The convicted killer escaped from the maximum-security military prison at Fort Leavenworth in the US nearly 40 years ago. The authorities caught up with him after using facial recognition technology to match
a driver’s licence he was issued in 1981 in his new name against his old military photograph. This comes as Seattle Police prepare to use facial recognition software allowing officers to compare photos captured by surveillance cameras with a database of 350,000 facial images. The city is reported to be using a $1.6m grant from the US Department of Homeland Security to fund the programme.
Nuance Forensics identifies voice evidence for use in court
N
uance Communications has released Nuance Forensics, a voice biometrics solution that assists law enforcement officials and forensic experts with criminal investigations, as well as with the prosecution and defence of suspects. This tool uses Nuance’s voice biometrics technology to assist in confirming or refuting the identity of individuals based on audio files that are used during investigations. Law enforcement and forensic officials no longer need to listen to hours of audio record-
ings collected during investigations. Nuance Forensics pinpoints the conversations of interest by filtering out from the audio recordings those that do not include the suspect’s voice. Forensic experts can now use voice biometric technology to analyse accurately the recorded voices entered into evidence. The data obtained through this forensics analysis with voice biometrics includes comprehensive and forensic standards-based reports, such as loglikelihood ratios and ‘tippet plots’, to establish the strength of the audio evidence in court.
Police combine fingerprint recognition with tests that reveal gender and drugs
U
K police are testing technology that combines recognition with tests that reveal traces of drugs and other substances and can determine the gender of the person leaving the fingerprints and may soon be able to establish their age. Conventionally, fingermarks found at the scene of a crime are lifted after using a powder to enhance them, and are then compared with prints on a police database to identify a suspect. Researchers at Sheffield Hallam University
TODAY
biometric
(SHU) used mass spectrometry to analyse fingerprints. An image was then created of the fingerprint to allow the team to establish any traces of drugs or other substances. SHU researchers also discovered that the cooking spice turmeric could be used as the powder to lift fingermarks. The technology, known as Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI-MSI), has been developed by researchers at the University’s Biomedical Research Centre (BMRC) who have been working with Continued on page 2...
News US authorities capture long-time fugitive with facial recognition 1 Nuance Forensics identifies voice evidence for use in court
1
Police combine fingerprint recognition with tests that reveal gender and drugs 1 Animetrics targets commercial sector with FaceR API
2
DHS reviews biometrics vendors
2
Google and Facebook decline privacy invite as Facebook boosts FR
2
App to use facial recognition to spot medical conditions
3
Aurora reveals LFW-topping face recognition
3
Global mobile biometrics to see 156.9% growth over five years
3
Apple forges ahead with biometrics
3
VoiceVault unveils ViGo voice biometrics for mobile
12
NIST publishes compression guidance for fingerprint images
12
ImageWare Systems and T-Systems pilot integration of products
12
Features Financial services sector puts voice biometrics at heart of fraud battle Steve Gold reports
5
Real world implementation of facial recognition systems Dr Nick Whitehead of Atkins and Hugh Carr-Archer of Aurora discuss the issues.
9
Regulars Events Calendar
3
News in Brief
4
Product News
4
Company News
4
Comment
12
ISSN 0969-4765/14 © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This journal and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by Elsevier Ltd, and the following terms and conditions apply to their use: Photocopying Single photocopies of single articles may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale, and all forms of document delivery. Special rates are available for educational institutions that wish to make photocopies for non-profit educational classroom use.
NEWS
Editorial Office: Elsevier Ltd The Boulevard Langford Lane Kidlington Oxford OX5 1GB, UK Fax: +44 (0) 1865 843973 Email: [email protected] Website: www.biometrics-today.com Publisher: David Hopwood Editor: Tracey Caldwell Email: [email protected] Production Support Manager: Lin Lucas Email: [email protected] Subscription Information An annual subscription to Biometric Technology Today includes 10 issues and online access for up to 5 users. Prices: 1209 for all European countries & Iran US$1307 for all countries except Europe and Japan ¥160 700 for Japan (Prices valid until 31 December 2014) To subscribe send payment to the address above. Tel: +44 (0)1865 843687 or via www.biometrics-today.com Subscriptions run for 12 months, from the date payment is received.
...Continued from front page West Yorkshire Police to trial the technology on fingerprints left at scenes of crime. MALDI-MSI, which is a technology normally used to map different molecules within tissue sections, produces multiple images of fingermarks which are made up of materials from the surface of the skin and from gland secretions. The team, led by Dr Simona Francese, has been lifting marks from crimes and taking them back to the university’s laboratories to test for traces of drugs, hair and cleaning products and condom lubricants as well as other substances of forensic interest. In laboratory settings the technology may be used to determine the gender of the criminal. West Yorkshire Police’s regional head of identification services, Neil Denison says, “This research presents an exciting opportunity to enhance fingerprint capability beyond just identification. We may soon be able to accurately age fingermarks and by analysing the constituent parts of the finger impression, profile the habits of the offender.”
DHS reviews biometrics vendors
This newsletter and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by Elsevier Ltd, and the following terms and conditions apply to their use: Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier Global Rights Department, PO Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: +44 1865 843830, fax: +44 1865 853333, email: [email protected]. You may also contact Global Rights directly through Elsevier’s home page (www.elsevier.com), selecting first ‘Support & contact’, then ‘Copyright & permission’. In the USA, users may clear permissions and make payments through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA; phone: +1 978 750 8400, fax: +1 978 750 4744, and in the UK through the Copyright Licensing Agency Rapid Clearance Service (CLARCS), 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP, UK; phone: +44 (0)20 7631 5555; fax: +44 (0)20 7631 5500. Other countries may have a local reprographic rights agency for payments. Derivative Works Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution. Permission of the Publisher is required for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. Electronic Storage or Usage Permission of the Publisher is required to store or use electronically any material contained in this journal, including any article or part of an article. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Publisher. Address permissions requests to: Elsevier Science Global Rights Department, at the mail, fax and email addresses noted above. Notice No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/ or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical (medical) standards, inclusion in this publication does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made of it by its manufacturer.
12985 Digitally Produced by
Mayfield Press (Oxford) Ltd
2
Biometric Technology Today
Research company Gartner estimates that the market for API management tools alone will grow 40% this year, driven by cloud computing and smart mobile devices. “Our goal is to extend the reach of our facial recognition capability beyond our core markets, enabling partners to leverage our assets to build innovative products while at the same time making our core technology more pervasive in the marketplace,” says Paul Schuepp, Animetrics president and CEO. One commercial use under consideration is superimposing spectacles onto a 3D face, so prospective purchasers can virtually shop for frames. Other commercial uses include targeted marketing, authentication, security, games and mobile apps. Future releases of FaceR will offer additional 3D facial capabilities including access to the actual 3D model. Animetrics will continue to focus on developing applications for the law enforcement and government markets and will run FaceR API software as a service (SaaS) business in parallel.
T
Police trial Sheffield Hallam University fingerprint tech.
Animetrics targets commercial sector with FaceR API
he US Homeland Security Department is reported to have switched vendors for a deal to update an employee badge system with biometric verification features, such as face and iris scans. According to Nextgov, DHS originally awarded the $102.8m contract to HP Enterprise Services in September 2013, but in November the department notified the Government Accountability Office that it was re-evaluating the award after XTec, which had previously provided software for the project, argued that the agency did not reasonably evaluate proposals. DHS awarded the new contract to XTec on 28 February.
facial recognition
A
nimetrics, developer of advanced 3D facial recognition and identity management solutions for law enforcement and the military, has released its first API for commercial licensing, called FaceR. FaceR makes it possible for software developers to write programs based on Animetrics’ 2D to 3D technology, which is used in law enforcement agencies worldwide and within the US Department of Defense. The FaceR API represents Animetrics’ first foray into the commercial space.
Google and Facebook decline privacy invite as Facebook boosts FR
G
oogle and Facebook declined to deliver facial recognition presentations at a National Telecommunications & Information Administration stakeholder meeting on the topic scheduled in March, reports Broadcasting & Cable.
April 2014