A two-day national workshop on Forensic Photo Facial Analysis was held on 23rd and 24th November 2019 at the International Youth Hostel, New Delhi.
The workshop was organized by the Capability Development Institute in association with Sherlock Institute of Forensic Science India, Clue4 Evidence Forensic Lab, Bangalore & International Association of Scientists and Researchers.
The workshop on Forensic Photo Facial Analysis proved useful to understand the basics of insurance claim finalization, bank document disputes, entrance exams, matrimonial settlements, etc. The motive behind conducting this workshop was to provide a hands on experience on forensic photo facial analysis techniques to participants.
The workshop covered briefing with demonstrations, hands on experience using known faces, exercises for participants with unknown faces, remark on the tasks solved by the participants, and discussion on the conclusion(s) made by the participants.
We, the humans have always had the distinctive ability to recognize and distinguish between faces. Recently, the computers have also shown the same ability. The technology has become so advanced that even the computers are able to recognize the human faces. For this purpose, the facial recognition software has come a long way.
Facial recognition is an approach by which the human face can be recognized through the use of technology. It uses biometrics in order to map the facial features from a photograph or video. Also, it compares the information with a database of known faces to find a match.
In forensic investigation, the facial image comparison is often needed and this technology thus proves worthwhile here. In three different ways facial image can be compared: the photogrammetry or ‘facial mapping’, image superimposition, and morphological analysis.
Thus, the workshop proved to be a great platform for the investigation enthusiasts to acquire skills and build a sound foundation on the subject.
The renowned forensic experts from all over India including Mr. Raj Shrivastava (Senior Forensic Scientist, State FSL, Govt. of MP), Mr. Phaneendar B N (CEO, Clue4 Evidence Forensic Lab, Bengaluru), and Mr. Ranjeet Kr. Singh (CEO, SIFS India, New Delhi) having immense expertise in their field were the speakers.
As far as the benefits from this workshop were concerned; at the end of this workshop, participants were able to establish the identity of an unknown face, they were able to recognize the authentic person in real document photos such as passport, marksheet, driving license, Aadhar, etc.
Furthermore, they were able to compare the facial photos in different documents in possession of a person.
Not only they examined the alleged alteration, intermixing or digital modification in facial photos but also differentiated the real and created photographs as well.
The study material, kit, and stationary everything were provided to the participants. However, they brought their own laptops so that they could get a better and easier learning experience.