What is the difference between positive and negative identification?
In a positive identification the user is interested to be identified, in the negative case the user tries to avoid successful identification. For example, the thief is not interested in being identified by comparing the latent prints from the scene of crime with his fingerprints. This is a negative identification. If I am authorized to get access to my office, I am strongly interested to be identified, e.g., by iris recognition. This is a positive identification. The main impact of positive versus negative identification regards user cooperation. In the negative case the user is not willing to cooperate (even if he is “innocent”) at the stage of feature acquisition. Therefore, a negative identification often needs observation. Even the sensor may be affected by the type of identification: For example, negative fingerprint identification needs full size sensors and ten-print treatment at least for the enrolment process.
