ABSTRACT
Biometrics is considered an effective way to provide the security to information whether it’s image or video data. Classification of different sorts of biometrics has been discussed in this chapter. Fingerprint is a most popular biometric used for human identification. This chapter used fingerprints as a biometrics, for a secure means of communication. So, fingerprint image quality is of great concern in order to achieve efficiency in security systems.
Fingerprint security is also an important parameter along with fingerprint quality. Fingerprint watermarking is a process where text and images are embedded on fingerprints in order to provide a secure template. This provides an authentic access to the owner. Watermarking is a topic of great affinity among researchers and, in a biometric perspective, it is a crucial step towards manifesting a solution that effectively addresses the issue of security of data. This chapter is focused on fingerprint watermarking where text and images are embedded on fingerprints, and discusses design and implementation of text watermarking algorithm and image watermarking algorithm in order to ensure security. The techniques outlined are beneficial for making available security and authentic access to the biometric image template. Fingerprint mosaicking is also discussed for making biometrics a more effective tool to provide security. This scheme constructs the composite fingerprint template (image) by using multiple impressions of the same finger. It gives the advantage that storage space required for composite image is far less than storing multiple impressions of the fingerprint. It also reduces the matching time between the query image and the composite template stored and reduced the problem of template selection. Another method depicted in the chapter is DWT in order to achieve effective and secure communication by using the fingerprint as a secure biometric modality.
