Because I really should be writing a research paper that I'm trying to avoid right now, I find myself being pensive about things which are far away from my academic demands -- such as the following:


Thanks to Mangani's GIS-style reports database for use on Google Earth, it's now possible to spatially plot the location of reports on something that can be readily seen, used, and linked to other resources. This is a massive icebreaker to open the door to other projects, and I'm still in awe that he got it off the ground!

At the same time (though to what degree this class of tool is accessible to parties outside law enforcement), I'm wondering about the utility of fingerprint-matching software. Instead of fingerprints, though, I'm thinking more about dermal ridges, taken from either casts or from high-quality photographs of well-preserved imprints.

To integrate these two streams in a hypothetical situation, one would document the exact location a print was found or cast was taken. The GPS data would be entered into record on database, while the appropriate peripherals would scan the ridges and similarly store these images (or vector approximations from high-resolution raster sourcing to enable a virtual scalability for minute details) to the database record.

Then, the aggregation of these database records -- specifically, the dermal ridge scans -- would be dumped into print-recognition software with an algorithm to determine whether any matches, or "hits", are present. If so, such hits would be designated on the GIS/GPS map and highlighted for their significance of being matches. Coupling the varying locations of a match to dates when the prints were found might in some short-term cases offer a glimpse of ambulatory patterns.

What are your thoughts on this integration of existing technologies for use as a new research tool? Practicality aside, how might such a platform be improved (though the integration of other technology or quality-control protocols) to aid with ongoing research?

[See, geeking wankery is so much more fun than doing what you're actually supposed to be doing. O:) ]

Wow! This stuff is way over my head, but, I thought I should mention that I believe (not completely sure) that very few actual examples of casts with dermal ridge patterns exist. I'm not aware of any high quality photos of imprints showing ridges.
I was also under the impression that some of those print casts showing dermal ridges my be considered questionable as strong enough evidence for a data base situation considering some have shown through experimentation that this ridge pattern effect could be the product of casting material artifacts.

Good luck though, it sounds really scientific.