Identification

We’ve told you before about CCTV programs that can identify criminal behavior, or that skip through footage where nothing’s happening. Now, a consortium of ten organizations from six European countries is working on another concept involving video monitoring of public spaces. It’s called the SUBITO project, for Surveillance of Unattended Baggage and the Identification and Tracking of the Owner, and it’s intended to do pretty much what the name suggests. Installed in existing security camera systems at places such as airports or train stations, the software will identify baggage that has been left unattended, and that could therefore possibly contain an explosive device. It will then search back to identify the person who deposited that baggage, then follow them forward through various cameras to establish their present location.  Read More

DNA testing has provided the biggest revolution in the identification of criminals since the adoption of fingerprinting in the early part of last century. Still, the technology has limitations. Most genetic tests take 24-72 hours but the time taken for DNA to go from crime scene to identification can span as long as 14 days. By the time that the results are back, the suspects often have been released. A newly developed test could make checking DNA from people arrested for crimes against DNA samples from crime scenes stored in forensics databases almost as easy as matching fingerprints.  Read More

Genetic fingerprinting using DNA is such a staple of TV cop shows that it’s easy to take such technology for granted. But it wasn’t all that long ago that DNA fingerprinting was cutting edge technology that was horrendously expensive. However, as the cost of such technology has plummeted, the DNA-based applications available to common folk have multiplied. Aside from using DNA testing to uncover ones genealogy, we’ve even got dating sites making matches based on DNA. Now man’s best friend can benefit from DNA technology with a DNA Breed Identification Kit that can identify the breeds that come together to make up your lovable pooch.  Read More

As identity theft continues to rise, authorities are on the lookout for ways to use a person's physical characteristics to distinguish between an imposter and the genuine article. Whereas eyes change shape according to facial expression and ears can be hidden away, researchers from the University of Bath have discovered that the shape of a person's nose is rarely affected by such things and have developed a technique which shows distinct promise for biometric identify verification.  Read More

Wondering why your mutt is gaining weight and your pet food bill is going through the roof – even though you’re regularly feeding the dog what you always have? Could it be that someone else in your household is feeding your pet, too, or forgetting to walk your canine pal. And when was the last time your dog had its flea or heart medication? A new, easy-to-use three-button device called the Dog-e-Minder should help solve some of these problems. It attaches to your pet’s collar and shows the last time your dog was fed, walked or had its medication. When idle, the Dog-e-Minder works as a backlit identification tag.  Read More

Human memory is a notoriously unreliable thing that can be easily influenced. That’s good news for criminals and bad news for law enforcement agencies that often rely on eyewitnesses to provide a description of a criminal. Around the world, law enforcement agencies employ sketch artists to piece together faces in a process similar to assembling a Mr. Potato Head toy. The witness describes key features, such as hair length, nose size or sharpness of the chin, and the artist combines them to create a likeness. Research into psychology suggests that this kind of method doesn’t take into account how the memory actually works, so researchers have developed new software that helps witnesses recreate and recognize suspects using principles borrowed from the fields of optics and genetics.  Read More

DNA testing in recent years has resulted in many wrongly-accused citizens being exonerated of crimes they didn’t commit. For example, investigations conducted by the Innocence Project, an organization started in New York City, led to the exoneration of more than 220 citizens convicted of serious felonies. An analysis of the first 130 exonerated revealed that mistaken eyewitness identification was a contributing factor in 101 (77 percent) of those cases. It is believed that many cases of mistaken identity are caused by police inadvertently influencing eyewitnesses as they look through photo-arrays, searching for the perpetrators. Enter ‘Officer Garcia’ – an impartial virtual detective who guides witnesses through the identification process without the risk of imparting any influence.  Read More