• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.125-133
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• 2020

An innovative method for separating overlapping latent fingerprints, using laser-induced plasma spectroscopy (LIPS) combined with multivariate analysis, is reported in the current study. LIPS provides the capabilities of real-time analysis and high-speed scanning, as well as data regarding the chemical components of overlapping fingerprints. These spectra provide valuable chemical information for the forensic classification and reconstruction of overlapping latent fingerprints, by applying appropriate multivariate analysis. This study utilizes principal-component analysis (PCA) and partial-least-squares (PLS) techniques for the basis classification of four types of fingerprints from the LIPS spectra. The proposed method is successfully demonstrated through a classification example of four distinct latent fingerprints, using discrimination such as soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) and partial-least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). This demonstration develops an accuracy of more than 85% and is proven to be sufficiently robust. In addition, by laser-scanning analysis at a spatial interval of 125 ㎛, the overlapping fingerprints were separated as two-dimensional forms.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.61
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• pp.377-400
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• 2019

Photography is the most commonly used method of documenting the crime and incident scene as it helps maintaining chain of custody (COC) and prove integrity of the physical evidence. It can also capture phenomena as they are. However, digital images can be manipulated and lose their authenticity as admissible evidence. Thus only limited techniques can be used to enhance images, and one of them is Fourier transform. Fourier transform refers to transformation of images into frequency signals. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) is used in this study. In this experiment, we overlapped fingerprints with graph paper or other fingerprints and separated the fingerprints. Then we evaluated and compared quality of the separated fingerprints to the original fingerprints, and examined whether the two fingerprints can be identified as same fingerprints. In the case of the fingerprints on graph paper and general pattern-overlapping fingerprints, fingerprint ridges are enhanced. On the other hand, in case of separating complicated fingerprints such as core-to-core overlapping and delta-to-delta overlapping fingerprints, quality of fingerprints can be deteriorated. Quality of fingerprints is known to possibly bring negative effects on the credibility of examiners. The result of this study may be applicable to other areas using digital imaging enhancement technology.