physics

Next Generation Identification

Next Generation Identification is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Next Generation Identification rather than just read about it. In short: Next Generation Identification (NGI) is a project of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The project's goal is to expand the capabilities of the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), which is currently used by law enforcement to identify subjects by their fingerprints and to look up their criminal history.

Key takeaways

Next Generation Identification belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Next Generation Identification to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Next Generation Identification from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Next Generation Identification (NGI) is a project of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The project's goal is to expand the capabilities of the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), which is currently used by law enforcement to identify subjects by their fingerprints and to look up their criminal history. The NGI system will be a more modular system (allowing easy expandability). It will also have more advanced lookup capabilities, incorporating palm print, iris, and facial identification. The FBI first used this system in February 2011. The system was developed by Lockheed Martin in partnership with Safran and with a number of technology companies. By 2012 the database had 13.6 million images representing 7–8 million individuals, 16 million images by mid-2013, and over 100 million records by 2014. The database includes both non-criminal and criminal face images, including at least 4.3 million face images taken for non-criminal purposes added by 2015. These noncriminal photos come in part from background check images submitted by employers to the FBI. By December 2015 the database had 70.8 million criminal records and 38.5 million civil records. In 2016 a group of organizations published a letter condemning an FBI proposal to make the database exempt from the Privacy Act provision that allows individuals to inspect their own records in the database to check for accuracy and fairness. Signatories included La Raza, Color of Change, Amnesty International, National LGBTQ Task Force, as well as the companies Uber and Lyft. The DOJ granted this exemption in 2017. The FBI accepted a 20 percent error rate in its facial recognition technology, according to a 2010 document obtained via FOIA.

Organizations involved in the project Accenture BAE Systems createTank Global Science & Technology (GST) IBM Ingersoll Consulting Information Solutions (ICIS) Innovative Management & Technology Services (IMTS) Lakota Software Solutions, Inc Lockheed Martin National Center for State Courts (NCSC) NTT Data Platinum Solutions

References

External links FBI Press Release (February 12, 2008) FBI Report to the Department of Justice, justifying the project (PDF file, August 6, 2006) FBI NGI (archive page 2010) FBI NGI FBI Pushes S-COMM to Spur Public Acceptance of Massive New Biometics Database

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Next Generation Identification

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Next Generation Identification claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Next Generation Identification before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Next Generation Identification ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Next Generation Identification

In research: Next Generation Identification appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Next Generation Identification in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Next Generation Identification is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Biometric databases, Facial recognition software, Federal Bureau of Investigation, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Next Generation Identification outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Next Generation Identification in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Next Generation Identification means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Next Generation Identification out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Next Generation Identification in simple terms?

Why does Next Generation Identification matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Next Generation Identification?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Next Generation Identification.