title: Search prefilters to assist in library searching of infrared spectra of automotive clear coats.
abstract: Clear coat searches of the infrared (IR) spectral library of the paint data query (PDQ) forensic database often generate an unusable number of hits that span multiple manufacturers, assembly plants, and years. To improve the accuracy of the hit list, pattern recognition methods have been used to develop search prefilters (i.e., principal component models) that differentiate between similar but non-identical IR spectra of clear coats on the basis of manufacturer (e.g., General Motors, Ford, Chrysler) or assembly plant. A two step procedure to develop these search prefilters was employed. First, the discrete wavelet transform was used to decompose each IR spectrum into wavelet coefficients to enhance subtle but significant features in the spectral data. Second, a genetic algorithm for IR spectral pattern recognition was employed to identify wavelet coefficients characteristic of the manufacturer or assembly plant of the vehicle. Even in challenging trials where the paint samples evaluated were all from the same manufacturer (General Motors) within a limited production year range (2000-2006), the respective assembly plant of the vehicle was correctly identified. Search prefilters to identify assembly plants were successfully validated using 10 blind samples provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) as part of a study to populate PDQ to current production years, whereas the search prefilter to discriminate among automobile manufacturers was successfully validated using IR spectra obtained directly from the PDQ database.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, United States. Electronic address: bklab@chem.okstate.edu.
authors.forename: Barry K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Lavine
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, United States.
authors.forename: Ayuba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fasasi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, United States.
authors.forename: Nikhil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mirjankar
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, United States.
authors.forename: Collin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Royal Canadian Mounted Police Forensic Laboratory, 15707-118th Avenue, Edmonton, AB, Canada T5V 1B7.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandercock
keywords: Automotive clear coats; Automotive paints; Feature selection; Forensic analysis; Genetic algorithms; Infrared library searching; Pattern recognition analysis; Search prefilters; Wavelets