Patent ID: 8826863

Claim:
A system configured to uniquely identify individual subjects from a group of subjects, the system comprising: electronic memory for storing a plurality of records that correspond to a plurality of individual subjects from one or more groups of subjects, wherein the records include features of one or more characteristics of the corresponding subjects, and wherein the plurality of records comprise: a first record that corresponds to a first subject, wherein the first subject is from a first group of subjects, and wherein the first record includes: features of a first external characteristic of the first subject that distinguish the first subject from other members of the first group of subjects, and a location history of the first subject comprising a record of the historical geographical locations of the first subject and corresponding time information; and, a second record that corresponds to a second subject, wherein the second subject is from the first group of subjects, and wherein the second record includes: features of a second external characteristic of the second subject that distinguish the second subject from other members of the first group of subjects, where in the second external characteristic is different from the first external characteristic; and a location history of the second subject comprising a record of the historical geographical locations of the second subject and corresponding time information; and, a processor configured to: obtain a digital image of a current subject that captures a characteristic of the current subject; determine an identity of the current subject based on a comparison of features of the characteristic captured in the digital image and features of the characteristic stored in records corresponding to subjects from the one or more groups of subjects; obtain a geographical location of the current subject; obtain a time at which the digital image of the current subject was obtained; in response to a determination that the current subject is the first subject update the location history of the first subject with the obtained geographical location of the current subject and the obtained time at which the digital image of the current subject was obtained; and, in response to a determination that the current subject is the second subject update the location history of the second subject with the obtained geographical location of the current subject and the obtained time at which the digital image of the current subject was obtained.