Facial landmarking (mapping) on the FBI facial catalogue Literature review

Facial landmarking (mapping) on the FBI facial catalogue - Literature review Example Owing to the sub rosa nature of criminal activity, such measurements are often inaccurate, but indicative nonetheless. There are several sources used to gauge crime rate in a country, the first being the official crime statistics drawn from criminal records compiled by the police and law enforcement agencies. However, unlike health, employment and housing, police records are not exactly comprehensive and complete, as some offenses, especially victims under threat and experiencing humiliation (i.e. rape and abuse), are not reported. Thus, governments like that of the United States institute public surveys throughout the different states, along with collating hospital and insurance records to fill the gaps that official police records are afflicted by. Having both economic and social welfare in mind, international organizations like the United Nations (UN) and the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) gather and compile crime statistics from different countries to publi sh worldwide crime indices. One such index was created by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2009) which features a statistical compilation of various violent crimes that occurred from 2003 to 2008, classified according to the continent and country where they occurred. According to the index, there has been a steady decline of at least 5 – 10% in violent crimes that occurred in the European regions, specifically those involving crimes against property. This decreasing trend in the crime rate can be explained by the widespread installation of surveillance cameras that occurred at the turn of the millennia. Today, surveillance cameras are set up in main throughways, business establishments as well as in households, waiting to record the criminal activities of unsuspecting wrongdoers and help bring them to justice. Facial Recognition Where available, surveillance cameras are invaluable to the police and law enforcement agencies as the video record narrows down their s uspect list to persons that closely resemble the perpetrator caught on camera. According to Enciso et al. (n.d), however, matching the 3D image of a person to 2D photographs in a database presents several problems because it involves the processes of visualization and analysis. The procedure is therefore prone to asymmetries and deviations from the norm. Additionally certain video surveillance equipment have poor contrast and resolution or they are mounted at an angle that distorts the face of the criminal. Adding insult to injury, criminals have learned to wear masks to hide their faces. All these hinder precise identification. The following sections discuss the methods, current and previous, used to identify criminals in 2D photograph databases as well as the technology required to automate 3D facial recognition. Identification Methods Anthropometry is the field of science that defines the physical measurements of a person (i.e. size, form, stature) for the purpose of studying hum an physical and functional variations. According to De Angelis et al. (2008), the identification of the living began in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Discovered in 1883 by Alphonse Bertillon and accordingly termed â€Å"Bertillonage†, anthropometric identification was based on the unchanging measurements and characteristics of human body parts. This scientific field therefore worked on the premise that if a database of measurements of specific parts of every individual was recorded, it would