OSAC Lexicon
The OSAC Lexicon is a compendium of forensic science terms and definitions. This terminology tool was created to help bring consistency and understanding to the way terms are used by the various forensic science. Use of the OSAC Lexicon does not replace the need to reference the original published source.
The terms and definitions in the OSAC Lexicon come from the published literature, including documentary standards and technical reports. It is continually updated with the latest work from OSAC units, as well as terms from newly published documentary standards and standards elevated to the OSAC Registry.
Gradually terms are evaluated and harmonized by the OSAC to a single term. This process results in an OSAC Preferred Term. An OSAC Preferred Term is a term, along with its definition, that has undergone review and evaluation by the FSSB Terminology Task Group and has been approved by the FSSB. The FSSB recommends that subcommittees use OSAC Preferred Terms when drafting standards.
The OSAC Lexicon should be the primary resource for terminology and used when drafting and editing forensic science standards and other OSAC work products.
the act, process, or capability of distinguishing between two separate but adjacent parts or stimuli, such as elements of detail in an image, or similar colors.
in facial identification, image, and video analysis, a measure of the limit of an image or display to distinguish between two separate but adjacent stimuli, such as elements of spatial detail in an image, or similar colors.
Related to breathing and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Related to breathing and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
A behavior that a canine has been trained to exhibit upon locating the source of a target odor/scent. This behavior may be either passive (sit, stare, down, point) or active (bite, bark, scratch, jump, etc.).
A behavior that a canine has been trained to exhibit upon locating the source of a target odor/scent. This behavior may be either passive (sit, stare, down, point) or active (bite, bark, scratch, jump, etc.). (See indication.)
The accountability of a person or other entity for the event or sequence of events that caused the fire or explosion, spread of the fire, bodily injuries, loss of life, or property damage.
(1) in computer forensics, the process of restoring data from an image, and (2) in image and video analysis, any process applied to an image that has been degraded by a known cause (for example, defocus or motion blur) to remove partially or totally the effects of that degradation.
The product of the forensic service provider. This term is broad and includes observations, data, calculations, interpretations, and opinions.
the actual distance between two doubly refracted rays as they emerge from an anisotropic fiber; dependent upon the difference in the two refractive indices, |n||n|, and the thickness of the fiber.
the ratio of the distance traveled by the solute band's center divided by the distance traveled by the solvent front, both measured from the origin.
Behaviors associated with finding and returning prey or objects back to the canine handler or social group.
Behaviors associated with finding and returning prey or objects back to the canine handler or social group.
The innate impulse to find and bring prey.
The subconscious impulse to find and bring prey to the pack leader.
in facial identification, an individual whose role is to perform facial review.
A fully corrected version of the original Cambridge Reference Sequence (GenBank# J01415 0 gi:337188) of Anderson et al. (1981) of the human mitochondrial genome (mtDNA), also referred to as the Anderson sequence. The rCRS is GenBank sequence NC_012920; it differs from the original CRS and other complete mtDNA GenBank sequences in that it has eighteen corrected or confirmed nucleotides. It is used for reporting human mtDNA sequences, generally by denoting the differences observed from the rCRS.
The presentation of a desired or preferred article, toy, food, or praise given to the canine once the detector canine has alerted and responded to the odor(s)/scent(s) for which the canine is trained to detect/locate.
The presentation of an article, toy, food, or praise given to the canine once the detector canine has alerted and responded to the odor(s)/scent(s) for which the canine is trained to detect/locate.
Red, Green, Blue used to represent color pixels comprised of a specified number of bitsto represent each of these primary color components.
A raised portion of the epidermis on the palmar or plantar skin, consisting of one or moreconnected ridge units of friction ridge skin.
A section of a ridge that connects two minutiae; a single non-intersecting portion of askeletonized image.
See skeletonized image.
a procedure for carrying out a crystal-structure refinement using X-ray or neutron powder diffraction data, in which an entire powder pattern is simulated for a trial structure(s) and matched against the observed powder pattern; atomic parameters and other variables are modified to achieve an acceptable fit between the calculated and observed powder patterns.
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format which can be used to store audio data.
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format that issometimes used in audio and video recordings. The most common implementation ofRIFF is WAV, which uses the file extension '.wav'
flange-headed cartridge containing the priming mixture inside the rim cavity.
An uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a negative effect on a softwares reliability and performance.
The degree of peril; the possible harm that might occur that is represented by the statistical probability or quantitative estimate of the frequency or severity of injury or loss.
A systematic process for deciding the risk level associated with a particular software or module.
Experiments performed to measure the capability of a procedure to remain unaffected by small but deliberate variations in method parameters and provide an indication of reliability during normal usage.
long, thin crystals with squared off ends.
Region of interest.
in facial identification, an intrinsic rotation of the head about a horizontal front-to-back (sagittal) axis measured in degrees. Discussion—Frontal poses have a roll angle of 0. Positive angles represent faces tilted toward their right shoulder (counter-clockwise rotation around the axis). A roll angle of 0 denotes that the left and right eye centers have identical vertical coordinates. The roll axis is typically defined as the Z-axis (positive forward).
The linear distance traveled by a tire in one revolution under load.
A fingerprint image collected by rolling the finger across a livescan platen or paperfingerprint card from nail to nail. Rolls may be from livescan devices or scanned frompaper fingerprint cards.
A commercial product, which is a seven-mil Estar film base material designed to wet rollers andpick up loose particles on all types of roller transport photo-processing machines used along withfingerprint powder to produce known impressions of footwear and tires.
See flameover.
the structure that anchors a hair to a follicle and from which cells divide and produce the hair shaft.
Discussion—The portion of follicular tissue surrounding a root structure is the sheath.
a compact and flexible, torsionally balanced structure produced from strands which are laid, plaited, or braided together to produce a product which serves to transmit a tensile force between two points.
Discussion—Generally greater than 3⁄16 in. diameter; a rope is made up of three or more strands.
in forensic audio and video analysis, device or software or both used to direct the path of one or more signals into one or more devices. (Compare production switcher.)
Canine training conducted with regularity that maintains the canine's operational capabilities.
Canine training conducted with regularity that maintains the canine's operational capabilities.
set of samples contemporaneously analyzed (unbroken sequence) as part of an experiment or calibration