Soft biometrics
Encyclopedia
Soft Biometrics traits are physical, behavioural or adhered human characteristics, classifiable in pre–defined human compliant categories. These categories are, unlike in the classical biometric case, established and time–proven by humans with the aim of differentiating individuals. In other words the soft biometric traits instances are created in a natural way, used by humans to distinguish their peers.
in the 19th century. He first proposed a personal identification system based on biometric, morphological and anthropometric determinations .
The most common traits he introduced were colour of eye, hair, beard and skin; shape and size of the head; body characteristics like height or weight as well as indelible marks such as birth marks, scars or tattoos. A majority of these descriptors presently fall into the category of Soft Biometrics.
Jain lately redefined Soft Biometrics as a set of traits providing information about an individual, though these are not able to individually authenticate the subject because they lack distinctiveness and permanence
Soft Biometrics inherit a main part of the advantages of Biometrics
and furthermore endorses by its own assets. Some of the advantages include non obtrusiveness, the computational and time efficiency and human compliance. Furthermore they do not require enrolment, nor the consent or the cooperation of the observed subject.
Introduction
The beginnings of Soft Biometrics can be identified as laid by Alphonse BertillonAlphonse Bertillon
Alphonse Bertillon was a French police officer and biometrics researcher who created anthropometry, an identification system based on physical measurements. Anthropometry was the first scientific system used by police to identify criminals. Before that time, criminals could only be identified...
in the 19th century. He first proposed a personal identification system based on biometric, morphological and anthropometric determinations .
The most common traits he introduced were colour of eye, hair, beard and skin; shape and size of the head; body characteristics like height or weight as well as indelible marks such as birth marks, scars or tattoos. A majority of these descriptors presently fall into the category of Soft Biometrics.
Jain lately redefined Soft Biometrics as a set of traits providing information about an individual, though these are not able to individually authenticate the subject because they lack distinctiveness and permanence
Soft Biometric traits
Traits which accept the above definition include, but are not limited to:- Physical: skin colour, eye colour, hair colour, presence of beard, presence of moustache, height, weight.
- Behavioural: gait, keystroke.
- Adhered human characteristics: clothes colour, tattoos, accessories.
Soft Biometrics inherit a main part of the advantages of Biometrics
Biometrics
Biometrics As Jain & Ross point out, "the term biometric authentication is perhaps more appropriate than biometrics since the latter has been historically used in the field of statistics to refer to the analysis of biological data [36]" . consists of methods...
and furthermore endorses by its own assets. Some of the advantages include non obtrusiveness, the computational and time efficiency and human compliance. Furthermore they do not require enrolment, nor the consent or the cooperation of the observed subject.
See also
- BiometricsBiometricsBiometrics As Jain & Ross point out, "the term biometric authentication is perhaps more appropriate than biometrics since the latter has been historically used in the field of statistics to refer to the analysis of biological data [36]" . consists of methods...
- Private biometricsPrivate biometricsA form of biometrics, also called Biometric Encryption or BioCryptics, in which the prover is protected against the misuse of template data by a dishonest verifier....
- SurveillanceSurveillanceSurveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
- AnthropometryAnthropometryAnthropometry refers to the measurement of the human individual...
- Biometric passportBiometric passportA biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers...
- Biometrics in schoolsBiometrics in schoolsBiometrics in schools have been used worldwide since the early first decade of the 21st century to address truancy, to replace library cards, or to charge for meals...
Further reading
- Person recognition using a bag of facial soft biometrics (BoFSB). Published in MMSP 2010.
- Can soft biometric traits assist user recognition?. Published in SPIE 2004.
- Soft biometrics systems : Reliability and asymptotic bounds. Published in BTAS 2010.
- "Ross et al.", Handbook of multibiometrics, International Series on Biometrics, Vol. 6, Springer 2006.
- Weight estimation from visual body appearance . Published in BTAS 2010.
- [ftp://ftp.elet.polimi.it/users/Stefano.Tubaro/ICIP_USB_Proceedings_v2/pdfs/0000037.pdf Facial marks: Soft biometric for face recognition]. Published in ICIP 2009.
- Color based soft biometry for hooligans detection. Published in ISCAS 2010.