5. Predictive biometrics

Abstract

Is there any reason why the data captured in a biometric system could not be used for other sorts of prediction too? ‘An introduction to predictive biometrics’ looks at how instead of supplementing conventional data with soft biometric data, conventional biometric data might be used to predict some soft biometric characteristics of an individual. Predictive biometrics has expanded considerably in recent years, with the two most frequently studied characteristics being age and gender using, for example, biometric iris data. Recent studies are taking predictive biometrics further still, aiming to predict so-called ‘higher level’ individual characteristics, such as those which reflect an individual’s mental or emotional state.