Blog: Don’t forget the human element in face recognition programmes

Human facial identification plays an essential role in confirming identity across time By Dr Nicole Spaun, Principal Facial Biometric Expert, Criminal Justice and Public Security, MorphoTrakWhen the purchase of a Face Recognition (FR) system is under consideration, the discussion usually turns to the technology itself: accuracy rates, matching speed, database capacity, and so on. In this blog entry, we'll discuss an equally important component – training personnel in Facial Identification.In a verification setting, where the object is to identify two faces as being the same face, it may be possible, assuming the availability of high quality face front images, to use the system in a lights-out manner, accepting the output of the system as a final answer; akin to tenprint fingerprint matching. However, in most use cases, particularly those involving uncontrolled, surveillance face images, the system should not be used without expert examination. The fact that humans will be needed to evaluate the output from the system is often an afterthought by the agencies' management.Many agencies have their deputies or security personnel, who are familiar with comparing people to their IDs or watching surveillance video of people, use the FR system as an additional tool. Some agencies assign their fingerprint analysts to do double duty, assuming that comparing faces is easier than comparing fingerprints, because we've all been comparing faces since we were born. This is rather like putting a single lens reflex camera in the hands of a person accustomed to using a “point and shoot” camera, and expecting the person to take great photographs in modes other than Automatic. The untrained photographer won't succeed, because he is unaware of the nuances in the technology and its processes and, moreover, only has a cursory understanding of the underlying principles of the subject matter, image science. The same is true when specialists in an unrelated field are asked to compare facial images for identification – they won't be as successful because they don't have the necessary knowledge or training of this particular discipline.In the FR scenario, these individuals usually have no training in properties of the human face and how its appearance changes under imaging conditions. Worse, while the purchasing agency puts pressure on vendors to improve their automated system accuracy, the agency must also address the accuracy of the employees using the automated FR system. Just because a gun shoots straight does not mean an untrained person using that gun will hit the target: overall accuracy is a factor determined by the capability of the tool as well as that of the user. What is needed is a change in the prevailing mindset regarding the use of a Facial Recognition “System.” It should be considered a Facial Recognition Program, where the ability and accuracy of those using the program is factored into the plan from the beginning. During the last decade, studies such as Perceptual Expertise in Forensic Facial Image Comparison have proven that human accuracy is highest when the individuals using the system are not layman, but when they are specifically trained in Facial Identification, the manual matching of faces by humans.The US Government-sponsored Facial Identification Scientific Working Group (FISWG), which includes international participation, has put forth recommendations for the training of individuals in Facial Identification. These recommendations should be considered critical guidance for any agency's FR Program. Prior to finalizing the purchase or usage of an automated FR system, an organization should consider their need to create an in-house Facial Identification training program that includes classes and mentorship. Working side-by-side with existing experts and having a peer-review process in place will allow staff to grow their skills in selecting the best candidate from an FR system gallery through experience and coaching. The training program should incorporate testing as well, both pre- and post-testing, to evaluate users on their aptitude and accuracy at the manual task of Facial Identification. Super-recognizers: People with extraordinary face recognition ability asserts that a small subset of the population have a more innate ability to compare faces. These individuals are “Super Recognizers.” Similarly there are people with little ability to recognize faces, called the Face Blind. The use of a pre-test at an organization would allow staff most naturally suited to the task to be identified as the best candidates for training. Training courses can be developed in-house, provided by the FR system vendor, or selected from other commercially available courses.There has been great improvement in Face Recognition technology over the last decade and, similarly, great improvement in the understanding of the capability and needs of the human facial identification expert. By considering the human component of automated face recognition from the onset, organizations will achieve the highest accuracy and best performance for their FR Programs.Dr. Nicole Spaun is Principal Facial Biometric Expert for MorphoTrak's Criminal Justice and Public Security unit. Dr. Spaun received a Bachelor's degree in Planetary Sciences from Boston University. At Brown University, she earned her MS and PhD in Geological Sciences while involved with NASA's Galileo mission. Dr. Spaun continued her research as a National Research Council Postdoctoral Associate at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA. Motivated by the attacks of 9/11, Dr. Spaun switched focus from space to safety and accepted a position at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Digital Evidence Lab. Using her image analysis skills as a forensic examiner, she specialized in photogrammetry and biometrics. To assist the growing facial biometric community, she published numerous papers on techniques and training for the manual comparison of people in images that culminated in the development and execution of a training program for humans performing facial comparisons. Dr. Spaun left the FBI to become the first Biometrics Program Manager for the Headquarters of US Army Europe in Germany. In Germany, she supported the use of biometrics for military intelligence and force protection, and worked with foreign nations to build their military and border security biometric capabilities.

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