Identification of persons through the eyes is in the field of biometrical science. Many security systems are based on biometric
methods of personal identification, to determine whether a person is presenting itself truly. The human eye contains
an extremely large number of individual characteristics that make it particularly suitable for the process of identifying
a person. Today, the eye is considered to be one of the most reliable body parts for human identification. Systems
using iris recognition are among the most secure biometric systems

Dunja Marinović

Miran Čoklo

Sanja Njirić

Vedrana Mužić

English

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Coll. Antropol. 35 (2011) Suppl. 2: 347–350ReviewPersonal Identification by EyesDunja Marinovi}1, Sanja Njiri}2, Miran ^oklo3 and Vedrana Mu`i}41 Juvenile Correctional Institution, Rijeka, Croatia2 »Luciana Pavi~evi}« Eye Polyclinic, Rijeka, Croatia3 Department of Forensic Medicine and Criminalistics, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia4 Department of Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Devices, Zagreb University Hospital Center, Zagreb, CroatiaA B S T R A C TIdentification of persons through the eyes is in the field of biometrical science. Many security systems are based on bio-metric methods of personal identification, to determine whether a person is presenting itself truly. The human eye con-tains an extremely large number of individual characteristics that make it particularly suitable for the process of identi-fying a person. Today, the eye is considered to be one of the most reliable body parts for human identification. Systemsusing iris recognition are among the most secure biometric systems.Key words: identification, eye, iris, biometryIntroductionAn old saying claims that the eyes are the mirror ofthe soul. Today, in the information age, this adage ismore accurate than ever. Recognition of people throughthe iris is one of the most accurate methods of biometricidentification. Anthropologists have identified over time,around 400 different features in the iris stroma and irispigment epithelium. Modern mathematical methods foridentification through the iris, a pioneer of which is pro-fessor John Daugman, are indicating nearly 250 degreesof freedom in the iris characteristics. The idea to use thefeatures of the iris to identify a person was first proposedby ophthalmologist Frank Burchin the 1936. In the 1986two other ophthalmologists Aran Safir and Leonard Flompatented that idea. These ophthalmologists in the 1989taddressed the aforementioned John Daugman to developalgorithms that will allow the identification by the iris.Biometrical ScienceIdentification of persons through the eyes is in thefield of biometrical science. Biometry is the science onprocedures and methods for unique identification of hu-mans based on one or more physical qualities or charac-teristics of human behavior. Biometry is used since an-cient times, however, by the development of digital tech-nology biometry is taking a more important place in vari-ous areas of social life, human work and interests. Theachievements of biometrical science are used in the fieldof medical diagnostics, personal protection, monitoringin certain public areas and to identify a person for foren-sic purpose.In the last decades biometry is opening unimaginedpossibilities of application in the areas of identification.Classical identification methods, which are basically bio-metrical methods, are achieving a completely new mean-ing and quality in the digital environment. Modern tech-nologies in the domain of electronics and computing,through modern devices and software tools, reawakensonce historically rejected identification methods, whichflourish and live a new affirmation. The boom is espe-cially significant in the field of anthropological identifica-tion, which was abandoned in the 20th century due totechnological limitations. Also, modern technology andscientific advances allow the creation and development ofentirely new methods of identification based on physicaland behavioral characteristics of the individual personwhich has not been possible to register, allocate and use.The aim of the identification methods is to establishone’s identity or identify the person1.The identity represents the whole of immutable char-acteristics that mark a particular person or object, ac-cording to which she/it may be different from all others.347Received for publication July 21, 2011Identification of a person is made by establishing theidentity of the unknown with the already well known onthe basis of certain identifying characteristics2–4.Checking a person’s identity is carried out when theperson’s identity is not questionable and it is only neces-sary to compare the accuracy of the data. Checking isdone by examining the public document or a database toverify identity information from documents or databa-ses, with the appearance of a person. Determining a per-son’s identity is a more complex procedure then the iden-tity verification, it requires the identification of an un-known person or the review of the identity data accuracywhen you doubt the accuracy thereof5.Identifying characteristics or parameters can be phys-ical (fingerprint, face, palm, cornea, iris, thermogram ofthe body or face, the ear) or behavioral (signature, voice,typing dynamics, smell and walk pattern.) A human traitto be used in the process identification must fulfill cer-tain requirements. The decision on the type of featuresthat will be used as a means of identification depends onhis universality. Universality implies that every personmust possess this characteristic. It is important how thischaracteristic is unique, and with what degree of confi-dence it can distinguish one person from another. Thecharacteristic must by constant, which means that it isresistant to change over life time. The possibility to col-lect and measure the characteristic is the following re-quest, it means that one must be able to collect and mea-sure the characteristic by a generally accepted method6.Many security systems are based on biometric meth-ods of personal identification, to determine whether aperson is presenting itself truly. Modern criminal behav-ior is significantly determined by science and moderntechnology, as the perpetrators in committing criminalacts are increasingly resorting to sophisticated methodsand techniques, using the latest tools.In today’s world, life is permeated on the one handwith the dangers of terrorism and globalism and on theother hand with the need for personal and social securityand protection of privacy. High quality protection of per-sons, objects and systems become an imperative.The basic requirement for the implementation of bio-metric identification is the possibility that physical andbehavioral characteristics can be used in the process ofautomatic identification. Each biometric system consistsof four main parts. Input unit that is used for measuringand registering biometric features. Then the extractor, thisunit is used to extract certain features from the whole. Inthe system exists the database of identification charac-teristics. There are units for verification and comparisonto certify the quantity and quality of contentious charac-teristics and then compares them with previously stored.Retina and Iris as Means of IdentifyingPersonsThe first research for identifying a person throughthe eye began around 1930. A first commercial versionappeared in 1984. The human eye contains an extremelylarge number of individual characteristics that make itparticularly suitable for the process of identifying a per-son. Today, the eye is considered to be one of the most re-liable body parts for human identification. Especiallysuitable for identification is the iris and the retina of theeye. The retina is a thin layer of cells with an abundanceof blood vessels located in the back of the eye. Its struc-ture is individual and unique for each person. Whatmakes retina unique is the complexity of the network ofblood vessels and their ramifications. This biometricmethod still provides the highest recognition accuracy.The detection is performed by scanning the eye. Retinalscan takes 10–15 seconds. The method requires that theeye is at closest to the scanner, so the spectacles must beremoved. During the scanning the eye is illuminatedwith a light beam why this is not one of the most com-fortable biometric methods. Therefore, and do to thehigh cost this method is not the most commonly used, al-though he has the best results. This is also the most ex-pensive method of identification because the equipmentused to scan the retina is very costly.It has great applications in military facilities and ar-eas of high-level security (police stations, prisons, nu-clear plants, laboratories, etc.) where the price of equip-ment is not the determining factor7.Faster, cheaper and thus more used method is a methodof identifying a person through the iris. The iris is thecolored part of the eye surrounding the pupil, consists ofrings, lines and spots in different colors. It has two hun-dred characteristics suitable for identification. It is uni-que, present in every person and unchangeable duringlifetime, because its appearance is defined early in thechildhood and does not change anymore. The iris is im-possible to change without great risk of vision loss. Thesystem for identification based on iris cannot be fooled bylenses, glasses or eyes removed from a dead man. Modernbiometric systems have implemented measures to ensurethat the subject is alive and that the sample which un-dergoes testing is not photography or removed eye fromthe cadaver. There are algorithms that register the chan-ges in a living eye and by the glass eye or the eye of a deadperson there are no expansion or contraction of the pupilwhen the eye is illuminated by light. This method isnon-invasive because it requires no physical contact be-tween the eye and the scanner. Recording the iris can bedone with a simple camera with a distance of two feet. Tosearch the database takes a few seconds. Iris recognitionsystem first defines the boundary of the iris, sets the co-ordinate system over the iris, and defines an area foranalysis. In the process of recording it does not use theentire surface of the iris such as parts covered with anupper eyelid, the pupil and the reflection of the camera.Identification system using iris scan uses a small highquality camera. With this camera we acquire high resolu-tion black and white images. The technology is based onan infrared scan8.This technique has the potential to become a leadingbiometric technology of the future.D. Marinovi} et al.: Identification, Coll. Antropol. 35 (2011) Suppl. 2: 347–350348Numerous practical examples testify that this type ofcharacterization is in wide use. Back in 1996 the U.S.District Lancaster prison in Louisiana introduced thefirst experimental identification system using iris scan-ning. The prison counted tens of thousands of prisoners,and they were consequently released from custody ortransferred in short periods. Every time it was necessaryto perform the identification by fingerprinting. It isproved to be a slow and complex process of identification,so they have decided to use the iris identification systemthat would enable faster and more reliable circulation ofprisoners. This was followed by numerous experimentswith employees of airline companies and airports, whichare now showing the greatest interest in new identifica-tion technologies. In June 2001 iris recognition technol-ogy entered in use at the London airport Heatheow. Thesystem was used in regular passengers from Virgin At-lantic Airways and British Airways. This technologymade it possible to avoid the passport control, which hasshortened the waiting in line for passport control. Dur-ing system testing, 2,000 passengers from Canada andGreat Britain were subject to immigration control officefor the registration of biometric characteristics. Passen-gers, whose data were registered upon arrival in thecountry, had a special kiosk to compare their biometricdata with the data from the database. If the identity wasconfirmed the passenger received a card with which hecould enter the country. Amsterdam Schiphol Airportalso uses iris scanning for passenger’s identification. TheAmsterdam program requires volunteers to pay sevenhundred pounds for membership fee, and to lose fifteenminutes of their time, how it takes to do the initial scanof the eye and passport control. After that a volunteer re-ceives a card which contains records of his retina. Whenit comes to boarding checkpoint, instead of the ticket orboarding pass, the passenger places his card into thescanner, looks into the camera and is on the plane in notime. Also, the passenger does not have to worry that itwill lose or misplace his passport or ticket. Schiphol Air-port volunteers have reserved parking spaces near theterminal, check-in without waiting by nine selected air-lines regardless of the class in which the passenger trav-els and a separate baggage check. More and more air-ports, but also banks and other institutions, are consider-ing to use identification by iris as a solution to securityproblems such as counterfeiting of documents, savingtime and increasing safety9.Banks such as the Japanize Suruga Bank uses irisidentification for internal security matters, such as open-ing and access to the vault. Other banks like the UnitedBank of America are looking for a way that would enabletheir customers to purchase by iris identification as theonly mean of payment. Some supermarkets in the UnitedStates have already set up an experimental system, withcustomers previously registered with the bank, whichcan pay for purchased merchandise by looking in to thecamera for iris scanning. The development of less expen-sive technology made possible the installation of irisscanning systems on mobile phones and ATMs in orderto confirm on-line payments instead of bank cards andpins. Mexico was the first country who placed a picture ofthe iris on the identity card. It is proven that a personaldocument containing images of the iris, fingerprints,photograph and signature, will have a 99% of confidence.Some schools in America introduced in 2003 the identifi-cation through the eye for the staff and parents to ensuremaximum children safety and to prevent unwanted peo-ple from entering and staying in the school. This type ofidentification is used on land and sea border in 27 check-points in the United Arab Emirates. All foreign nationalswho have visas to enter the country must look into thecamera to scan the eye and the image is compared withthe database. The database contains images of the eye ofthose who for various reasons cannot enter in to thecountry. Par example felonies, serving a prison sentence,traveling with forged documents or disregard of the du-ration of work permits.As biometrics enters the mass market, this technologyis produced by large corporations such as Japanese »Mat-sushita«, which is a leader in the development of biome-trics in the Far East, but its devices for the identificationthrough the iris is sold also in Europe and America10.ConclusionAfter the terrorist attacks on the United States in to-day’s world do to the fear of terrorism more and more in-stitutions have introduced a number of security systemsbased on biometric characteristics of the human eye. Theapplication of biometrics and biometric identificationmethods in all areas of human life, including crime-in-vestigation, is a reality. The interest of the society is tocontinue the research in the field of biometric identifica-tion. Systems using iris recognition are among the mostsecure biometric systems. More frequent use of thesesystems in everyday life indicates the growing maturityof this technology, both in the accuracy and ergonomics.Compared with some biometric characteristics, the iris ispoorly accepted by end users, but more accepted thansome others (the cornea, DNA). We can conclude that theiris is a good combination of accuracy and acceptance.This method does not require physical contact withthe scanner and is suitable for identification and authen-tication of persons. This biometric characteristic doesnot change throughout life. The technology is so ad-vanced that it has become economically viable and effi-cient, it is possible to perform the identifications by eyefrom 9 feet distance, you need 10 seconds to execute ascan, in a minute you can handle 30 people. In 2009 8% ofpersonal biometric identification was based on the eye, in2017 the fingerprint (as currently the most commonmethod) will decrease from the current 39% ratio to 27%,and identification through the eye will increase from 8%to 19%. Biometric characteristics cannot be stolen as it ispossible to steal the keys, credit cards, passwords andother objects that are traditionally used for authentica-tion. Biometric identification is based on something youcannot lose or forget11.D. Marinovi} et al.: Identification, Coll. Antropol. 35 (2011) Suppl. 2: 347–350349R E F E R E N C E S1. JAIN A, HONG L, PANKANT S, Communications of the ACM, 43(2000) 2. — 2. BRKI] H, VODANOVI] M, DUMAN^I] J, LOVRI] @,^UKOVI]-BAGI] I, PETROVE^KI M, Coll Antropol, 35 (2011) 353. —3. DJURI] MP, MILENKOVI] PP, DJUKI] KM, Coll Antropol, 33 (2009)1387. — 4. NOVOKMET N, MARJANOVI] D, [KARO V, PROJI] P, LAUCG, GRAHOVAC B, MOHAR B, KAPOVI] M, RUDAN P, Coll Antropol, 33(2009) 1319. — 5. PAVI[I] B, MODLY D, VEI] P, Kriminalistika (Goldentehni~ka knjiga, Zagreb, 2006). — 6. ACLAY M, ZDENEK R, User Au-thentication through Biometrics (IEE computer society, London, 2003).— 7. SANCHEZ-AVILA C, SANCHEZ-REILLO R, DE MARTIN-ROCHED, Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, 17 (2002) 3. — 8. WIL-DES RP, Proceedings of the IEEE, 85 (1997) 1348. — 9. DAUGMAN J,IEEE Trans CSVT, 94 (2006) 11. — 10. BA^A M, SCHATTEN M, KI-[ASONDI T, Za{tita, 2 (2006) 135. — 11. JAIN A, BOLLE R, PANKANTS, Biometrics: Personal Identification in Networked Society (Kluwer Aca-demic Publishers, Norwell, 2002).D. Marinovi}Juvenile Correctional Institution, Vukovarska 49, 51000 Rijeka, Croatiae-mail: dunjamarin@yahoo.comIDENTIFIKACIJA OSOBA ORGANOM VIDAS A @ E T A KIdentifikacija osoba putem organa vida spada u biometrijsku znanost. Brojni sigurnosni sustavi temelje se na identi-fikaciji osoba biometrijskim metodama, da bi se utvrdilo je li neka osoba ta za koju se predstavlja. Ljudsko oko sadr`iiznimno veliki broj individualnih karakteristika koje ga ~ine izuzetno povoljnim za postupak identifikacije osoba. Okose danas smatra jednim od najpouzdanijih organa za identifikaciju osoba. Sustavi za prepoznavanje putem {arenice okajedni su od najsigurnijih biometrijskih sustava.D. Marinovi} et al.: Identification, Coll. Antropol. 35 (2011) Suppl. 2: 347–350350

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