Week # 2 Assignment Instructions

Instructions

This week's assignment we are going to be doing a hands-on type of assignment. Follow the steps below to successfully complete the assignment.

Step 1: Locate the fingerprint from last week, make sure it is a JPG file. Convert if needed.

Step 2: Download the fpmv_beta_3_0.zip file, unzip the file, then go into the FpMV folder, then into the bin folder, then launch FpMV.exe

Step 3: In FpMV, you will want to load in your famous fingerprint scan JPG, and then use the following settings:

Quality = 0.1, FP Opacity = 75, Min Opacity = 100, FP Brightness and Contrast will vary but try and get the background white and the print black.

Step 4: Copy and paste into the lab document the Minutiae/Points/Markers of the fingerprint. It will vary on the number but I would say 25-60 should be given depending on the quality of the print.

Step 5: Now we get to the fun part. You have been given a fingerprint, Crime-Scene-Print.jpg, that was found at the scene of a triple murder, there are no leads in the case, and the detectives are hoping you can give them the name of the person belonging to the fingerprint. Open that print in FpMV and use roughly the same settings from above.

Step 6: Open another instance of FpMV, and start matching the fingerprints from the Fingerprints folder which is found in the Fingerprints.zip file, which you will need to unzip. Some of the fingerprints can be gotten rid of immediately from visual inspection, then the art of fingerprint analysis begins with the matching of the markers.

Step 7: Import into the Word file the source fingerprint as well as the suspect's matching fingerprint and make sure you notate the name of the Suspect, which is how the prints are named.

Step 8: Include a few sentences on the assignment, your thoughts on it, etc. And answer the question, Are fingerprints a valid choice of identifying an individual or is there too much ambiguity in fingerprint matching?