Editing Fingerprint (section)

== Fingerprint verification ==
[[File:Ridge ending.svg|thumb|160px|Ridge ending]]
[[File:Bifurcation.svg|thumb|160px|Bifurcation]]
[[File:Short ridge.svg|thumb|160px|Short ridge (dot)]]
Fingerprints can be captured as graphical ridge and valley patterns. Because of their uniqueness and permanence, fingerprints emerged as the most widely used [[biometric]] identifier in the 2000s. [[Automated fingerprint verification]] systems were developed to meet the needs of [[law enforcement]] and their use became more widespread in civilian applications. Despite being deployed more widely, reliable automated fingerprint verification remained a challenge and was extensively researched in the context of [[pattern recognition]] and [[image processing]]. The uniqueness of a fingerprint can be established by the overall pattern of ridges and valleys, or the logical ridge discontinuities known as '''minutiae'''.<!--bold because target of redirect--> In the 2000s, minutiae features were considered the most discriminating and reliable feature of a fingerprint. Therefore, the recognition of minutiae features became the most common basis for automated fingerprint verification. The most widely used minutiae features used for automated fingerprint verification were the ridge ending and the ridge bifurcation.<ref>{{cite book |editor= Seong-Whan Lee |editor2=Stan Z. Li|title=Advances in Biometrics: International Conference, ICB 2007, Seoul, Korea, August 27–29, 2007, Proceedings |year=2007 |publisher= Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3540745488 |pages= 484}}</ref>

=== Patterns ===
The three basic patterns of fingerprint ridges are the arch, loop, and whorl:
* Arch: The ridges enter from one side of the finger, rise in the center forming an arc, and then exit the other side of the finger.
* Loop: The ridges enter from one side of a finger, form a curve, and then exit on that same side.
* Whorl: Ridges form circularly around a central point on the finger.
Scientists have found that family members often share the same general fingerprint patterns, leading to the belief that these patterns are [[Heredity|inherited]].<ref name=ScientificAmerican1>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=are-ones-fingerprints-sim |title=Are one's fingerprints similar to those of his or her parents in any discernable way? |first=Glenn |last=Langenburg |date=24 January 2005 |magazine=Scientific American |accessdate=28 August 2010 |archive-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112070727/http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=are-ones-fingerprints-sim |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Fingerprint features ===
Features of fingerprint ridges, called ''minutiae'', include:<ref name="MaltoniMaio2009">{{cite book|author1=Davide Maltoni|author2=Dario Maio|author3=Anil K. Jain|title=Handbook of Fingerprint Recognition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Wpx25D8qOwC&pg=PA216|year=2009|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1848822542|page=216|author4=Salil Prabhakar|access-date=February 22, 2019|archive-date=February 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203180011/https://books.google.com/books?id=1Wpx25D8qOwC&pg=PA216|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Ridge ending: The abrupt end of a ridge
* Bifurcation: A single ridge dividing in two
* Short or independent ridge: A ridge that commences, travels a short distance and then ends
* Island or dot: A single small ridge inside a short ridge or ridge ending that is not connected to all other ridges
* Lake or ridge enclosure: A single ridge that bifurcates and reunites shortly afterward to continue as a single ridge
* Spur: A bifurcation with a short ridge branching off a longer ridge
* Bridge or crossover: A short ridge that runs between two parallel ridges
* Delta: A Y-shaped ridge meeting
* Core: A circle in the ridge pattern

[[File:Fingerprints Minutiae Patterns Representation.jpg|thumb|left|390px]]
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