Unrolling Post-Mortem 3D Fingerprints Using Mosaicking Pressure Simulation Technique

Post-mortem fingerprints are a valuable biometric used to aid in the identification of a deceased individual. However, fingerprints from the deceased undergo decomposition leading to indefinite structure when compared to ante-mortem fingerprints. Moreover, the performance of the existing two-dimensional (2D) fingerprint recognition systems is still below the expected potential. These problems arise because fingerprints are generally captured by manipulating a finger against a plane. In post-mortem fingerprint recovery, the decedent's finger must go through several reconditioning processes to prevent the rapid onslaught of decomposition. To address these deficiencies associated with the 2D systems, three-dimensional (3D) scanning systems have been employed to capture fingerprints. The 3D technology is still in its transient phase and is limited primarily by 1) the lack of existing 3D databases; 2) the deficiency of 3D-to-2D fingerprint image mapping algorithms, 3) the incapacity to model and recreate the 2D fingerprint capturing procedure to improve 3D-2D fingerprint verification; and 4) the inability to apply traditional fingerprint unrolling techniques on post-mortem 3D fingerprints. This paper presents a novel method to perform post-mortem 3D fingerprint unrolling and pressure simulation to produce fingerprint images that are compatible with 2D fingerprint recognition systems. The thrust of this paper strives to: 1) develop a correspondence between 3D touchless and contact-based 2D fingerprint images; 2) model fingerprints with deformities to provide a viable fingerprint image for matching and; 3) develop a mosaic pressure simulation (MPS) algorithm to recreate the effects of 2D fingerprint capturing procedure.