Description
ABSTRACT
The term ‘biometrics’ refers to a measurable characteristic that is unique to an individual such as fingerprints, facial structure, the iris or a person’s voice. This paper presents a fingerprint based biometric system that records the attendance of a person by using a hand held fingerprint sensor. The experimental results suggest that many fraudulent issues can be overcome using the fingerprint based attendance system and improves the reliability of the attendance records.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER PAGE
TITLE PAGE
APPROVAL PAGE
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
- AIM/OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
- PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
- LIMITATION OF THE PROJECT
- SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
- ADVANTAGES OF THE PROJECT
- PROBLEM STATEMENT
- SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT
- PROJECT MOTIVATION
- APPLICATION OF THE PROJECT
- DEFINITION OF TERMS
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
- SYSTEM OVERVIEW
- REVIEW OF RELATED WORK
- REVIEW OF FINGER PRINT
- THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF FINGERPRINTS
- FINGERPRINT RECOGNITION
- PATTERNS OF FINGERPRINT
- OVERVIEW OF ATTENDANCE MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER THREE
SYSTEM DESIGN
- DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM BUILDING BLOCK
- SYSTEM BLOCK DESCRIPTION
- CIRCUIT DIAGRAM OF THE SYSTEM
- CIRCUIT COMPONENTS
- SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
- SYSTEM INSTALLATION
- SYSTEM CIRCUIT DESIGN
- WORKING OF SYSTEM CIRCUIT
- POWER SUPPLY UNIT
- DESCRIPTION OF COMPONENTS USED
- SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
CHAPTER FOUR
TESTING AND RESULTS
- CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE AND TESTING
- INSTALLATION OF THE COMPLET DESIGN
- ASSEMBLING OF SECTIONS
- TESTING OF SYSTEM OPERATION
- PRECAUSIONS
- ECONOMIC OF THE PROJECT
- PROJECT VIABILITY
- PROJECT RELIABILITY
- PROJECT MAINTAINABILITY
- PROJECT EVALUATION
CHAPTER FIVE
- CONCLUSION
- RECOMMENDATION
- REFERENCES
CHAPTER ONE
- INTRODUCTION
Attendance is a concept that exists in different places like institutions, organisations, hospitals, etc. during the start and end of the day to mark a person’s presence. In early days and even now in many places attendance is recorded manually in attendance registers by calling out the names. This results in waste of time and human effort. Also there are many fraudulent issues that happen when we use a register. For example, in educational institution, the teacher calls out the names of the student’s one after the other and marks their presence after they answer.
The other way that is followed is the teacher passes the attendance sheet around the class for the students to sign besides their names. But these methods have a major drawback where the students tend to answer or sign for their friends who are not present for that day. These fraudulent issues may become more frequent if the class strength is high.
A solution to overcome these problems is by using a system that will record the attendance automatically. In this direction, this paper presents a fingerprint based biometric system that records the attendance automatically. This system consists of a fingerprint sensor which is used to detect the person’s identification. For example, in educational institutions, the student needs to place their finger on the fingerprint sensor to obtain their attendance. The fingerprint captured is recorded in a flash memory and then each time it is checked whether the obtained fingerprint matches with the record in the flash memory after which the student gets the attendance. By making use of this system, we overcome the issues such as proxy so no student can give attendance for their friends who areabsent.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Attendance management of students in institution can be rigorous using the conventional method of paper sheets and old file system method. Every academic institution poses some standards concerning how attendance is to be confirmed for student in classes, laboratory sessions and examination halls. That is why keeping the accurate record of attendance is very important. The approach of using paper sheets and the old file system to confirmed students has been in use for years. There are so many bottlenecks with the conventional method, one of such problem is the difficulty for the management to compute the percentage of student attendance in classes and frequently modify their information. Also in institution, tracking and monitoring student time of attendance could be tedious task, time consuming and as well prone to errors. As an alternative to traditional manual clocking process by students in classes or during examination, biometrics characteristics can be used for authenticating students. This research will focus on developing Fingerprint based Biometric Student Attendance Monitoring System. The fingerprint Biometrics is adopted in this research work for the fact it is one of the most successful applications of biometric technology. In the manual signing processes, where lecturer give a sheet of paper to student to write their names and signature as a form of confirming their presence for a particular class session, falsification in student attendance mostly occur a situation where by a student can sign on behalf of his or her colleague as being present in the class when not true can be so difficult to prevent from happening especially for large classes where row count can takes longer time International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security (2009).
The trending concern in this modern world is regarding national security, identifying theft as well as on-line terrorism. Researcher refers to Biometric as a solution for detecting user’s identity and security challenges emanating in this modern day. Biometric identification is any automatically measurable, robust and distinctive physical characteristic or personal trait that can be used to identify an individual or verify the claimed identify of an individual. Biometric science utilizes the measurements of a person’s behavioral characteristics (keyboard strokes, mouse movement) or biological characteristics (fingerprint, iris, nose, eyes, jaw, voice pattern, etc). It is the features captures that is being transformed digitally into a template. The recognition software can then be use to discover an individual as the person they claim to be. Fingerprint recognition is the most common biometric method adopted in identification of a person (Ismail 2009).
Biometric is a field of technology that uses automated methods for identifying and verifying a person based on physiological and behavioral traits. Because some parts of the human body is use in biometrics, the issue of getting lost is not possible and for password to be easily guess can be easily avoided. Also, utilizing biometrics in most cases can be said to be more efficient when speed is considered and convenient than employing password and ID cards method.
Using a particular person fingerprint as a form of authentication is just like using natural physical data as a password. The benefit of using biometric authentication is that it is absolutely distinct to each person. There are no two different individuals with the same fingerprint, it is difficult and impossible for one another to have the same fingerprint, and fingerprints from different people can never be the same. Also, a fingerprint can never be guess by a criminal, such as a password which imposter can easily predict using a user birth date or any other common password. Infiltration is very hard to come by due to the fact that criminal will not be able to snoop around to steal user password when using ATM with the 4-digit pass code (Valasquez 2013).
Fingerprint can be categorize as one of the most mature biometric traits and is accepted in courts of law as a legitimate proof of evidence. Fingerprints are adopted in forensic analysis globally in investigations of criminal. More recently, there are growing numbers of individuals and commercial users that are currently using or strongly putting into consideration of using fingerprint-based identification for no any other reason other than the matching performance biometric technology has demonstrated as well as a better understanding of fingerprints.
Although there are so many positive impacts for using biometric authentication, however, unlike username and password, biometric data is a physical feature of a person that is fixed and cannot be change. If a person could have access to adequate scan another person fingerprint, that scan has the capability to trick the Touch ID system. In that case, the fingerprint features of a person can’t be change consequently a criminal can’t be prevented from having access to your personal information or files. As fingerprint scanning becomes more widely accepted anywhere anytime, this may become a substantial challenge. A criminal can have access to different accounts because with one fingerprint, a criminal may have access to multiple accounts that implemented authentication using fingerprint.
1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of the study is to design and develop a reliable, scalable and cost effective Fingerprint based Student Attendance Monitoring system. This is to be achieved by the following objectives:
- To carry out the analysis of manual processes involved in class attendance and examination attendance.
- To design a new system for the (i) above and
- To implement the design using Microsoft Visual Basic.net.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
This work is on a portable and reliable fingerprint based student attendance monitoring system that can be used to monitor attendance of the student. The main purpose of this work is to eliminate the problems of manual method of entering attendance in a class room.
1.4 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The traditional system is still mostly used in lecture room or laboratory session in most institution today. Lecturer or instructor will give out a sheet of paper containing list of student’s name to sign or in some cases, the student will be the ones to write their names, student id and matriculation number to indicate their presence for a particular class. Falsification in student attendance does occur rampantly in the traditional method. For example, another student can easily sign an attendance on behalf of another student. In other to prevent this problem, it is necessary to develop an Authentication System for Students using fingerprint Biometric recognition that will be employed to track and keep the attendance of every student in a particular class. Fingerprint is unique feature for everyone compare to using barcode in smart cards. Therefore, this system designed in this project work is not based on the existing barcode system. Tracking and monitoring student time of attendance could be tedious, time consuming and more susceptible to errors. The security of the existing attendance system that are now use in classroom (signature system) can be easily compromised. Some students can master other student’s signature. Thereby, helping their colleague who are absent for a particular class to sign the attendance sheet using the duplicated signature. The Fingerprint Attendance monitoring system designed in this research work for student is a more secure platform where students mark their attendance with their fingerprint.
1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of this work is to develop a Fingerprint Based Student Attendance monitoring System that will improve how attendance management is done by using fingerprint as a form authentication for proof of attending a class. The system will be a window based application developed using Microsoft Visual Basic.net as the preferred programming language for building the user interface and Microsoft SQL Server for database design. It does not cover other aspects of biometric.
1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The efficiency of the scanner can be reduced due to the roughages in the captured images which are often caused by worn-out or cut or dirt’s found on fingerprint. Therefore, there is every possibility that enrolled users can be rejected by the system. Also the scanner or sensor cannot distinguish between a real and an artificial finger, therefore it is possible to fool the scanner. In addition, if an enrolled fingerprint is been duplicated or spoof, it is not possible to change fingerprint as in the case of password because user finger biometric. Finally, since the system will be design using Visual Basic.net, it won’t be able to run on any other platforms other than Microsoft Window operating system.
1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT
The System for Students using fingerprint Biometric will eliminate the use of paper in manual signing processes and all the risk associated with it. One of the risks of using a paper in class attendance is that it can be easily misplaced and students cheat by signing for each other not present in the class thereby defeating the aim of taking the attendance. Tracking and monitoring students time of attendance could be tedious, time consuming and susceptible to error. Thus, the System will drastically reduce time needed to verify attendance data.
The System also allows the institution management to track or investigate student class attendance in a particular course having poor attendance thereby enabling the management to rectify the situation by providing the necessary interventions. The system provide high level of security whereby making it impossible for imposters and impersonators in making their ways to examination halls. The System using fingerprint Biometric will keep historical data making it easy for lecturers to access and grade students.
Fingerprint Based Student Attendance monitoring System is extremely useful in institutions especially during classes, tutorials, laboratory sessions and examination during which heavy security are normally deploy to validate student’s identity in order to cob imposters, with the use of Authentication System the number of security personnel will be greatly reduce. Most lecturers’ handout sheet of paper for their class attendance, which can easily be misplaced or damaged and poses a lot of stress in cumulating grades for their students. The system allows the lecturer to monitor each student attendance, track down truants and take the appropriate action. Thus, the system eliminates all these downsides. The Authentication system is not only useful to the institutions and lecturers alone, even the students benefit a great deal by reducing the stress in queuing up which result in delay and often time in the damage of the attendance sheet. It also prevents mistakes and anomaly that is associated with manual signing in which student that attend a class are marked as not present thereby losing the mark accorded to the particular attendance due to multiple attendance sheet.
- Students will be more regular in attending their classes since now no password or no attendance sheet signature is required, so no friend or any other student can make an attendance on behalf of others as fingerprints are unique for every student.
- Teachers do not need to waste their time approximately 15min of 1hour for taking attendance of students.
- No need to maintain attendance sheet as the attendance are electronically stored in database.
- The system helps the faculty to easily find out defaulters.
- User may easily get attendance history of a particular student.
- It saves time, cost, efforts and institute resources.
1.8 PROBLEM STATEMENT
The only problem is that every class requires a fingerprint reader to access the system.
1.9 APPLICATION OF THE PROJECT
This device is used in different places like institutions, organisations, hospitals, etc
1.10 PROJECT MOTIVATION
Educational institutions still use attendance registers for managing student attendances. The teacher has to call out names during the lecture time. Increased number of students causes wastage of reasonable amount of time from the valuable lecture time. To save this time, some teachers follow the method of marking attendance by signing on a paper which is passed to the class during the lecture time. Here there is a chance of cheating by the students by putting signature of a absent person. These issues motivate the design of a new system.
1.11 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
Biometrics is physiological or behavioral characteristics unique to individuals, this Include Fingerprint, hand geometry, handwriting, iris, retinal, vein and voice.
PIN personal identification number.
Biometric Verification is any means by which a person can be uniquely identified by evaluating one or more distinguishing biological traits.
Scanner a device for examining, reading, or monitoring something in particular.
Fingerprint sensor is an electronic device used to capture a digital image of the fingerprint pattern.
Rapid Application Development is a concept that products can be developed faster and of higher quality.
Authentication is the process of determining whether someone or something is, in fact, who or what it declared to be.
Use Case Diagram is used to show scenarios used for understanding the requirements of the system and to show the interaction between the user and the system.
Flow chart or Activity Diagram is a Unified Modeling Language that represents the graphical workflows of stepwise activities and actions with support for iteration, choice and concurrency
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE SCOPE
Biometric technology is an effective tool to verify identity and detect fraudulent issues. Analysis confirmed that the biometric data can be set and confirm the identity of the user. Expanding the use of biometrics will enhance the ability to detect fraudulent issues in the presence of the students in class or employees in an organization. In terms of efficiency and performance, the present work has provided a comparison with the traditional methods attendance system. By using the flash memory, the data is well structured. This system is user-friendly and very reliable. Therefore, it can be implemented either in organisations or educational institutions.
The attendance management system can be improved by adding the features that indicate if the employee or student is late. Some of the future enhancements for this are to extend the current flash memory to store the complete details of the student. The system can be enhanced to track the arrival and exit time of the student or employee for additional monitoring.
5.2 RECOMMENDATION
This project can be used for security since it overcomes all the draw backs of ordinary security machine. It provides additional security. Its main advantage is that since fingerprints of every person is unique and hence this system completely reduces the chance of invalid votes. The system can be manufactured simply as well as cheap.
This work was built with quality wiring and contains many connections, I recommend that if failure occur, it should be troubleshoot by a qualify personnel along with the circuits diagram.
This project was built for Educational purposes. If one wants to use it for industrial or home applications, I recommend that a hook should be attached to the casing that would allow fixing the system on the wall.
