Journal de médecine légale

EVOLUTION IN FORENSIC FACIAL IMAGING �??A valuable approach of recognition in disaster�??s victim management�?�

Abstract

Vidhi Soni

A disaster or catastrophe is an impulsive devastating event that utterly disrupts the functioning of a community, a society comprising of widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources. The death of a loved one leaves an indelible mark on the survivors, and unfortunately, because of the lack of information, the families of the deceased suffer additional harm due to the inadequate ways in which the bodies of the deceased are handled. These secondary injuries are unacceptable, particularly when they are under the consequences of direct authorization or action on the part of the authorities or those responsible for humanitarian assistance. The most serious aspect is that these measures are being carried out without respecting identification procedures or preserving the individuality and dignity of the deceased. Disaster victim identification (DVI) is an intensive and arduous task which needs the contribution of specialists from various disciplines. Here in these exotic situations, forensic facial recognition may act as a boon for revealing the identity of the victims. A lot of face recognition algorithms, along with their modifications, have been developed during the past decades. This paper seeks to present a review of the existing literature in this domain and discuss several aspects, significance and requirements for forensic face recognition systems particularly focusing the various advances and trends of facial imaging which may provide a great beneficiary value in face recognition mechanism of victims in the case of different fatalities.