OSAC 2023-S-0026 Task-Relevant Information

in Friction Ridge Examination

1

OSAC 2023-S-0026

Task-Relevant Information 

in Friction Ridge 

Examination

Friction Ridge Subcommittee

Physics/Pattern Scientific Area Committee

Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science
OSAC 2023-S-0026 Task-Relevant Information

in Friction Ridge Examination

2

Draft OSAC Proposed Standard

OSAC 2023-S-0026

Task Relevant Information in 

Friction Ridge Examination

Prepared by 

Friction Ridge Subcommittee

Organization for Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science

Version: 1.0

August 2023

Disclaimer:

This OSAC Proposed Standard was written by the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) 

for Forensic Science following a process that includes an open comment period. This Proposed Standard 

will be submitted to a standards developing organization and is subject to change.

There may be references in an OSAC Proposed Standard to other publications under development by 

OSAC. The information in the Proposed Standard, and underlying concepts and methodologies, may be 

used by the forensic-science community before the completion of such companion publications.

Any identification of commercial equipment, instruments, or materials in the Proposed Standard is not a 

recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Government and does not imply that the equipment, 

instruments, or materials are necessarily the best available for the purpose.

To be placed on the OSAC Registry, certain types of standards first must be reviewed by a Scientific and 

Technical Review (STR). The STR process is vital to OSAC’s mission of generating and recognizing 

scientifically sound standards for producing and interpreting forensic science results. The STR shall 

provide critical and knowledgeable reviews of draft standards or of proposed revisions of standards 

previously published by standards developing organizations (SDOs) to ensure that the published methods 

that practitioners employ are scientifically valid, and the resulting claims are trustworthy.

The STR will consist of an independent and diverse panel, including subject matter experts, human 

factors scientists, quality assurance personnel, and legal experts, which will be tasked with evaluating the 

proposed standard based on a comprehensive list of science-based criteria.

For more information about this important process, please visit our website 

at: https://www.nist.gov/topics/organization-scientific-area-committees-forensic-science/scientifictechnical-review-panels. 
OSAC 2023-S-0026 Task-Relevant Information

in Friction Ridge Examination

3

1 Table of Contents

2 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 4

3 2. Scope ................................................................................................................................. 4

4 3. Terms and Definitions..................................................................................................... 4

5 4. General Information........................................................................................................ 5

6 5. Normative References ..................................................................................................... 6

7 6. Appendix A: Change Log ............................................................................................... 6

8

9
OSAC 2023-S-0026 Task-Relevant Information

in Friction Ridge Examination

4

10 1. Introduction

11 1.1. This document has been developed with the objective of improving the quality and 

12 consistency of friction ridge examination practices.

13

14 1.2. In 2015, the National Commission on Forensic Science adopted a Views Document that 

15 stated: “The standards and guidelines for forensic practice being developed by the 

16 Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) should specify what types of 

17 information are task-relevant and task-irrelevant for common forensic tasks.” This 

18 Technical Report responds to that recommendation.

19

20 2. Scope

21 2.1. This document specifies information that is task-relevant and task-irrelevant for friction 

22 ridge examinations, i.e., Analysis, Comparison, and Evaluation.

23

24 2.2. This document does not address other tasks that friction ridge examiners perform, such 

25 as collection, preservation, processing, conducting Automated Biometric Identification 

26 System (ABIS) searches, conflict resolution, and verification. This document also does 

27 not address the relevance of information necessary for administrative tasks, accreditation 

28 requirements, or reporting of results.

29

30 2.3. This document does not address requirements regarding exposure to task-irrelevant 

31 information in friction ridge examinations.

32

33 3. Terms and Definitions

34 For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.

35

36 3.1. Exemplar impression: The deliberately recorded images or impressions from the friction 

37 ridge skin of an individual.

38

39 NOTE 1 to entry: Examples may include, but are not limited to, inked tenprints, inked 

40 palm prints, Livescan prints, powder and lift prints, casted/moulded prints, or 

41 photographs of friction ridge skin.

42

43 3.2. Questioned impression: An impression or image of friction ridge skin whose source or 

44 identity is unknown; it can include latent impressions, impressions from an unknown 

45 source or a known source.

46

47 3.3. Task-Relevant: Information is task-relevant for analytic tasks if it is necessary for 

48 drawing conclusions:

49

50 (i) about the propositions in question,

51 (ii) from the physical evidence that has been designated for examination,
OSAC 2023-S-0026 Task-Relevant Information

in Friction Ridge Examination

5

52 (iii) through the correct application of an accepted analytic method by a 

53 competent analyst.

54

55 3.4. Task-Irrelevant: Information is task-irrelevant if it is not necessary for drawing 

56 conclusions about the propositions in question. 

57

58 NOTE 1 to entry: Information that is irrelevant for friction ridge examination may well 

59 be relevant for other administrative, analytical, or reporting tasks. 

60

61

62 4. General Information

63 4.1. Only the following information is considered task-relevant for friction ridge 

64 examination:

65 4.1.1. Friction ridge impressions

66 4.1.1.1. During analysis of questioned impressions, exemplar impressions are task67 irrelevant.

68 4.1.2. Substrate

69 4.1.3. Matrix

70 4.1.4. Processing methods

71 4.1.5. Date and/or method of collection for exemplars

72 4.1.6. Orientation and location of impressions

73 4.1.7. Environmental/location from which questioned impressions were recovered

74 4.1.8. Whether any exemplars were generated by a database search, the size of any 

75 databases searched, and any search parameters

76

77 4.2. All information not enumerated in Section 4.1 is presumed task-irrelevant for friction 

78 ridge examination. It is not possible to enumerate an exhaustive list of information 

79 that is task-irrelevant for friction ridge examinations. Information that is task80 irrelevant for friction ridge examination includes, but is not limited to the following:

81 4.2.1. Results of other forensic services

82 4.2.2. Documentation and/or conclusions by other friction ridge examiners

83 4.2.3. Crime type

84 4.2.4. Legal status of case and/or persons of interest

85 4.2.5. Other evidence or investigative information, whether forensic or not

86 4.2.6. Any information about the identity, relationship to the investigation, criminal 

87 history or demographic information about the source(s) of exemplar(s)

88 4.2.7. Identities of personnel involved in the investigation, e.g., submitting officer

89 4.2.8. Lab and agency case numbers

90 4.2.9. Item number(s)

91 4.2.10. Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) rank and/or score

92 4.2.11. Any information about the reference population (the population of potential 

93 donors of questioned impressions)

94

95
OSAC 2023-S-0026 Task-Relevant Information

in Friction Ridge Examination

6

96 5. Normative References

97 5.1. National Commission on Forensic Science, Ensuring That Forensic Analysis Is Based 

98 Upon Task-Relevant Information, Technology, (2015), available online: 

99 https://www.justice.gov/ncfs/file/818196/download. 

100

101

102 6. Appendix A: Change Log

Version Date Change

1.0 DD/MM/YYYY Original Issue

103