Design And Implementation Of An Attendance System Using Fingerprint Scanner

2.    Capacitance: This type of sensor acts in a parallel state with one parallel plate acting as the electrically conductive layer and the other plate acting as the non-conductive layer (Setlak, 2005).

3.    Ultrasonic: This sensor uses a high frequency sound wave to penetrate the fingertip skin. The measurements from such penetration results in the fingerprint image. (Majid and Saeed, 2005).

Good fingerprint imaging comprises of two main properties:
a.    Salient: This means the fingerprint image should be distinct.
b.    Sustainable: This means the fingerprint image should be useful for matching.
2.5    Fingerprint Matching
Fingerprint matching is the process taken to find the similarity between two fingerprint imprints. Various matching algorithms depend on which type of fingerprint acquisition technique used. In this section, we will review some common fingerprint matching algorithms.
1.    Minutia Based Method: This is a widely used method of pattern matching where very precise details on the fingerprint are chosen and matched in other to determine a correlation (Cappelli et al., 2001).
2.    Correlation Based Method: In this method, the two fingerprints in question are properly aligned and correlation is digitally checked for. This is done by checking for displacements in the fingerprints checked (N. K. Ratha, 1996).
3.    Ridge Feature Based Method: In this method, the fingerprint ridges are used to form a finger code. This finger code is unique and so pattern matching happens when two finger codes are compared.
2.6    Existing Approaches to the Problem Identified and Challenges
In order to better appreciate the existing approaches to the problems faced, below are some problems faced by the current system.
1.    In the current system of writing names, time and date, the attendance data is not secure because one student can write for another, who may or may not be in attendance.
2.    Handwritten attendance records can render information useless due to legibility issues. Times, dates, and names can be incorrectly written or read which can cause problems when making use of the attendance records.
3.    Physical attendance registers can be lost, or damaged in some way or another, or even stolen. This makes it impossible to access those records for future use.
4.    Once information has been recorded within a set of bulky paper records, it may not be readily accessible later. It is also very difficult and time consuming to search for and locate a particular record or entry within a set of paper records.
5.    The integrity of such attendance records cannot be spoken for since the method of collection is not universally unique.
The following are existing techniques used to try and solve problems identified and challenges they faced:
1.    Attendance System using Visual Basic (University of Khartoum, 2009): An application was designed to help record attendance for university students. This application required an operator to compare student’s ID cards with the present students. Once determined, the operator ticks present or absent.
Challenge –While this provides secure storage for data collected from attendance, an operator is required to be present before this system works. Absence of the operator means attendance records will be halted.