BIOMETRIC ALGORITHMS

Fingerprint Recognition

Innovatrics fingerprint recognition is trusted worldwide by governments and businesses for its speed and accuracy, and consistently a top performer in independent biometric benchmarks such as NIST.

Talk to our team
Fingerprint Recognition

What is fingerprint
recognition technology?

Fingerprint Recognition

Benefits of Fingerprint Recognition

Global Acceptance

Fingerprint identification is the most widely adopted biometric worldwide, with legal frameworks and standards already in place.

Existing Databases

Massive fingerprint archives already exist in law enforcement, border agencies, and civil registries, making integration faster and more effective.

Easy to Capture

Simple and inexpensive devices can capture fingerprints instantly, in almost any environment, making it easy to deploy at scale.

Reliability

Proven over decades of forensic and civil use to deliver consistent, reliable matches, even from partial or low-quality fingerprints.

HOW IT WORKS

How does fingerprint recognition work?

Fingerprint Recognition

Image Capture

The first step is to capture an image of the fingerprint. This is typically done using specialized fingerprint scanners, which may utilize different technologies such as optical, capacitive, or ultrasound.

Fingerprint Recognition

Feature Extraction

Once the fingerprint image is captured, the system extracts specific features from it. These include ridge endings, minutiae, bifurcations, and other unique characteristics of the fingerprint.

Fingerprint Recognition

Template Creation

The extracted features are then used to create a digital template of the fingerprint, capturing its unique attributes and making it easier to compare with other records.

FINGERPRINT MATCHING

1:1 Verification

1:1 fingerprint verification is the process of confirming whether a captured fingerprint matches a single enrolled record. Instead of searching across an entire database, the system only checks if the person is who they claim to be. It requires extremely high accuracy, since even small errors can lead to false rejections or unauthorized access.

This type of verification is used every day for secure and convenient authentication. Employees can clock in at work using fingerprint readers, while civil registries rely on it to ensure a person’s claimed identity matches the records on file. It’s fast, simple, and reliable, and one of the most widely adopted biometric methods worldwide.

Fingerprint Recognition
FINGERPRINT MATCHING

1:N Identification

1:N fingerprint identification is the process of taking a single fingerprint sample and comparing it against a large database of stored prints to discover someone’s identity. Because the search may involve thousands or millions of records, systems need to be fast enough to deliver results instantly, and precise enough to avoid false matches.

In real-world use cases, 1:N identification is vital for law enforcement, border security, and civil ID systems. Investigators can take latent prints from a crime scene and search it against national databases to identify a suspect. Border agencies can instantly check a traveler’s fingerprints against watchlists. Civil registries use it to prevent duplicate enrollments and ensure every citizen is registered only once.

Fingerprint Recognition
HIGH PERFORMANCE

A leader in biometric
algorithm performance

Since 2004, Innovatrics have consistently ranked among the best in the world in independent biometric benchmark evaluations and certifications.

NIST MINEX III

A key benchmark for evaluating fingerprint template generation and matching. High MINEX scores demonstrate interoperability and accuracy, critical for large-scale ID systems and border control programs.

NIST PFT II

Evaluates the accuracy and speed of proprietary fingerprint matching algorithms. Strong PFT II results demonstrate top performance in native systems, essential for forensic and high-security applications.

NIST ELFT

Essential for law enforcement working with latent fingerprints, where prints are often partial or low quality. Strong ELFT performance ensures faster, more accurate suspect identification.

Where are we using
fingerprint recognition?

Fingerprint Recognition

ID Issuance

In national ID programs, fingerprint recognition makes sure every citizen has one unique and verifiable identity, building trust in government services and enabling secure digital access.

Find out how