Measuring coherence of computer-assisted likelihood ratio methods

Rudolf Haraksim; Daniel Ramos; Didier Meuwly; Charles E H Berger

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.01.033

Measuring coherence of computer-assisted likelihood ratio methods

Forensic Sci Int. 2015 Apr:249:123-32. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.01.033. Epub 2015 Feb 4.

Authors

Rudolf Haraksim¹, Daniel Ramos², Didier Meuwly³, Charles E H Berger³

Affiliations

¹ Netherlands Forensic Institute, Laan van Ypenburg 6, The Hague, Netherlands. Electronic address: haraksim@gmail.com.
² ATVS - Biometric Recognition Group, Escuela Politecnica Superior, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, C/Francisco Tomas y Valiente 11, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
³ Netherlands Forensic Institute, Laan van Ypenburg 6, The Hague, Netherlands.

PMID: 25698513
DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.01.033

Abstract

Measuring the performance of forensic evaluation methods that compute likelihood ratios (LRs) is relevant for both the development and the validation of such methods. A framework of performance characteristics categorized as primary and secondary is introduced in this study to help achieve such development and validation. Ground-truth labelled fingerprint data is used to assess the performance of an example likelihood ratio method in terms of those performance characteristics. Discrimination, calibration, and especially the coherence of this LR method are assessed as a function of the quantity and quality of the trace fingerprint specimen. Assessment of the coherence revealed a weakness of the comparison algorithm in the computer-assisted likelihood ratio method used.

Keywords: Coherence; Fingermark; Fingerprint; Forensic evidence; Likelihood ratio; Validation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Algorithms
Computers*
Databases as Topic
Dermatoglyphics*
Humans
Likelihood Functions*