Writer Verification of Arabic Handwriting

Abstract

Expanding on an earlier study to objectively validate the hypothesis that handwriting is individualistic, we extend the study to include handwriting in the Arabic script. Handwriting samples from twelve native speakers of Arabic were obtained. Analyzing differences in handwriting was done by using computer algorithms for extracting features from scanned images of handwriting. Attributes characteristic of the handwriting were obtained, e.g., line separation, slant, character shapes, etc. These attributes, which are a subset of attributes used by forensic document examiners (FDEs), were used to quantitatively establish individuality by using machine learning approaches. Using global attributes of handwriting, the ability to determine the writer with a high degree of confidence was established. The work is a step towards providing scientific support for admitting handwriting evidence in court.