The Anaheim, Calif.-based biometric technology company MorphoTrak announced that its tattoo recognition algorithm placed first in the Tattoo Recognition Technology – Challenge (Tatt-C) evaluation conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Each trial in the challenge examined a critical aspect of performance for an automated tattoo recognition solution. In the identification trials, the MorphoTrak algorithm successfully found different instances of the same tattoo on the same subject over time. MorphoTrak, a U.S. subsidiary of the French security firm Morpho, also excelled at finding small areas of interest within larger tattoos, as well as determining whether an image contained a tattoo.
Tattoo images – traditionally regarded as soft biometric, visual information used to narrow down individuals for identification and investigation purposes – cannot explicitly identify an individual. Law enforcement organizations collect tattoo images along with mug shots, and while mug shots are searchable using facial recognition algorithms, tattoos must be searched by general categories such as "dragon" and "skull."
The team that developed MorphoTrak's tattoo recognition algorithm wants to help law enforcement make the transition from keyword search to automated search of tattoo images, much in the same way we now search for fingerprints and faces.
"MorphoTrak is proud to continue its tradition of leadership and commitment to excellence in the field of biometric technology," Celeste Thomasson, president/CEO for MorphoTrak, stated. "Prior to MorphoTrak's work in this area, investigators had to rely on text keywords to find tattoos that were similar in appearance."
In May, the International Biometrics and Identification Association asked NIST to consider giving biometrics an expanded role in the revised version of its electronic authentication guidance publication, which was last updated in August 2013.
Developers of biometric verification believe the tool's ability to provide a quick and easy user experience will help encourage its use.
"There has been a surge in the use of biometric technologies for mobile banking and other e-authentication applications," Walter Hamilton, IBIA's vice chairman, stated. "We believe that NIST should support this trend by providing guidance on how to ensure the effective implementation of biometrics as an authentication token rather than narrowly limiting its use."
The Ireland-based Research and Markets reported that its adoption for banking purposes will contribute $5.5 billion in revenue by 2020 for U.S. companies involved in delivering biometric systems to the banking industry.
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Roy Urrico
Roy W. Urrico specializes in articles about financial technology and services for Credit Union Times, as well as ghostwriting, copywriting, and case studies. Also: writer/editor of a semi-annual newsletter for Association for Financial Technology since 1997 and history projects funded by the U.S Interior Department, National Park Service and Warren County (N.Y.).
