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Fingerprint Visualisation

Give close matches

Electronic databases

Not looking for perfect matches

Require human judgment

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Brandon

Mayfield

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An attorney in

Oregon, U.S.A.

Brandon Mayfield

2004

Detained as a

material witness

Brandon Mayfield

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Madrid train

bombing

191 killed

2004

Train after the bombing

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Mayfield’s

fingerprint

Partial fingerprint

Partial match to

Brandon Mayfield

Bomb fragment

Fingerprint

on bomb

fragment

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Oregon

Spain

Problem

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Print was a perfect match

to Ouhnane Daoud

Ouhnane Daoud

Bomb fragment

Only a partial match

to Brandon Mayfield

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“Physical evidence cannot be wrong...

Only human failure to find it, study and

understand it, can diminish its value.”

Edmond Locard (1877-1966)

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Summary

Fingerprint patterns

Theory behind fingerprinting

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History of fingerprinting

2

1

Methods to visualise fingerprints

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Principles of fingerprinting

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