News Release

Biometrics must respond to human aging

Book Announcement

University of Kent

This is the central point in the first book of its kind to address the effects human ageing has on biometrics.

Edited by the University of Kent's Professor Mike Fairhurst, one of the UK's leading biometric researchers, and entitled Age Factors in Biometric Processing, the book brings together international experts to discuss the effects ageing will have on the way biometric systems are designed and deployed. It also highlights the barriers age factors can have on the way systems are used, including the extent systems can cope with changes in biometric data of an individual, such as facial changes due to old age.

The book also focuses on a selection of positive aspects relating to age factors and how these can contribute to establishing a broader picture of biometric data of an individual. For example, if someone's age can be estimated, this information can be used to give greater confidence in identifying them. Similarly, systems can be used to predict age which could be useful in many applications, including supporting the forensic investigation of crime.

Professor Fairhurst, Professor of Computer Vision in the University's School of Engineering and Digital Arts (EDA), said: 'Biometric technologies are very well established, but we now need to think about how we use such systems in the longer term. Understanding the relationship between age and the nature of biometric measurements is very important in producing the next generation of biometric identification systems, but is also an important element in broadening the range of applications where biometrics can have a significant benefit.'

Dr Meryem Erbilek and Dr Marjory Da Costa-Abreu, also researchers from EDA at Kent, provide contributions within the book.

Professor Fairhurst leads a research group with broad interests in the fundamental processes of image analysis and pattern recognition, with a particular focus on applications in security and especially biometrics. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the IET Biometrics Journal.

Age Factors in Biometric Processing is published by the IET.

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For further information or interview requests contact Katie Scoggins in the Press Office at the University of Kent
Tel: 01227 823581
Email: K.Scoggins@Kent.ac.uk

News releases can also be found at http://www.kent.ac.uk/news

University of Kent on Twitter: http://twitter.com/UniKent

Note to editors

The University of Kent – the UK's European university – was established at Canterbury in 1965. It has almost 20,000 students and operates campuses or study centres at Canterbury, Medway, Tonbridge, Brussels, Paris, Athens and Rome. It has long-standing partnerships with more than 100 major European universities and many others across the world, including institutions in Argentina, China, Japan, USA, Canada, Malaysia and Peru.

Kent is one of the few universities to be consistently rated by its own students as one of the best in the UK for the quality of its teaching and academic provision. This includes its position amongst the top 10 multi-faculty universities for overall satisfaction in the 2013 National Student Survey, positioning it within a select band of institutions that have achieved an overall satisfaction rate of 90% and above. It was also ranked 20th in the 2014 Guardian University Guide, 28th in the Sunday Times University League Table 2013, and 28th in the Complete University Guide 2014.

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, Kent placed 24th out of 159 participating institutions in the UK for its world-leading research, while 97% of its academic staff work in schools or centres where the research is rated as either internationally or nationally excellent.

It is worth £0.6 billion to the economy of the South East, with its students contributing £211 million to that total. The University also supports directly or indirectly almost 6,800 jobs in the South East (source: Viewforth Consulting, 2009-10).

In 2012, Kent launched a campaign to celebrate its 50th anniversary.


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