ISO/IEC 19794-2 Fingerprint Minutiae Record Standard
Have we ever wondered how the fingerprint scanners on your phone or laptop recognize your unique touches? The answer is ISO/IEC 19794-2 specifically, also known as FMR (Fingerprint Minutiae Record). This section post dives into the world of FMR, explaining what it is, how it works and its role in preserving our digital lives
What is FMR?
The FMR format stores information about these minutiae, including their:
Location: X and Y coordinates on the fingerprint image.
Direction: The angle of the ridge at the minutiae point.
Type: Whether it's an ending, bifurcation, or something else.
Common concepts in FMR
Ridge ending is the abrupt end of a ridge.
Ridge bifurcation is a single ridge that divides into two ridges.
Short ridge is a ridge that commences, travels a short distance and then ends.
Island is a single small ridge inside a short ridge or ridge ending that is not connected to all other ridges.
Ridge enclosure is a single ridge that bifurcates and reunites shortly afterward to continue as a single ridge.
Spur is a bifurcation which a short ridge branching off a long ridge.
Crossover is a short ridge that runs between two parallel ridges.
Delta is a Y-shaped ridge meeting.
Core is a U-tern in the ridge patter
Why is FMR Important?
FMR plays a crucial role in fingerprint recognition systems. When you scan your fingerprint, the system extracts minutiae data and compares it to the FMR data stored for your authorized profile.
FMR offers several advantages:
Security: By focusing on unique minutiae, FMR provides a robust way to identify individuals.
Interoperability: The standardized format allows fingerprint scanners from different manufacturers to work seamlessly with FMR data.
Efficiency: FMR data is compact, enabling faster fingerprint matching compared to storing entire fingerprint images.
Beyond the Basics of FMR
The FMR format can also store additional information like:
Finger position: Whether it's your thumb, index finger, etc.
Image quality: To ensure the scanned fingerprint is clear enough for accurate matching.
Ridge counts: The number of ridges between certain minutiae points (optional).
FMR: Keeping Your Data Secure
FMR plays a key role in fingerprint-based security systems for smartphones, laptops, and access control systems. By focusing on the unique characteristics of fingerprints, FMR offers a reliable and effective way to verify your identity in our increasingly digital world.