Have friction ridge arrangements been scientifically tested and found reliable for individualization?
Other sub-concepts include: Isn’t there a lack of statistical foundation in fingerprint examination? This concept addresses the detail itself, not its use by a practitioner. There has been an enormous amount of testing to support the reliability of the use of friction ridge skin for identification purposes. Some of the most recent mathematical research by Sharath Pankanti (IBM Research), Salil Prabhakar and Anil Jain (Michigan State University) and many, many, others before them, test the reliability of the use of level 2 friction ridge detail arrangements for individualization through frequency studies and AFIS research. The FBI / Lockheed-Martin 50K X 50K study demonstrated probabilities associated with two prints containing matching detail on level 2. Numerous statistical models have been proposed for over a century, and they all support the use of fingerprints for personal identification. I am aware of no specific statistical studies yet devoted only to level 3 detail. Collect refe
