The weighted landmark-based algorithm for skull identification

Abstract

Computer aided craniofacial reconstruction plays an important role in criminal investigation. By comparing the 3D facial model produced by this technology with the picture database of missing persons, the identity of an unknown skull can be determined. In this paper, we propose a method to quantitatively analyze the quality of the facial landmarks for skull identification. Based on the quality analysis of landmarks, a new landmark-based algorithm, which takes fully into account the different weights of the landmarks in the recognition, is proposed. Moreover, we can select an optimal recognition subset of landmarks to boost the recognition rate according to the recognition quality of landmarks. Experiments validate the proposed method. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.