Crime Scene Shoeprint Image Retrieval: A Review

Abstract

Shoeprints performs a vital role in forensic investigations. It has been an advanced research issue in forensic science. The main purpose of shoeprint image retrieval is to acquire a ranking list of shoeprint images in a database, according to their feature similarities to the query image. In this way, a shoeprint can not only be used as an exhibit for bringing criminal charges but also to provide a clue to a case. The goal of this work is to present an overview of the existing works conducted in shoeprint image retrieval. We detail the different phases of the shoeprint retrieval task and present a summary of the state-of-the-art methods. We analyzed the difficulties and problems in this field and discussed future work directions. This review may help neophytes become involved in research easily and quickly.