ROCKVILLE, Md., May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The FBI's Next Generation Identification (NGI) Increment 3 was deployed on May 5, 2013, providing significant improvement in latent fingerprint search accuracy and a new nationwide palm print identification system to help solve cold cases and improve crime-solving capabilities. These new resources are among the latest upgrades delivered by a Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]-led team for the FBI's NGI system.

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The improvements are the largest so far in a series of phased upgrades to the FBI's biometric identification services, providing powerful new and enhanced biometric capabilities for more than 18,000 local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies across the country.

Increment 3 incorporates powerful matching algorithms developed by Morpho, and supplied by U.S. subsidiary MorphoTrak, a multibiometric technologies company based in Alexandria, Va. The new technology is three times more effective in matching latent fingerprints submitted by investigators to those in the national database, greatly enhancing law enforcement agencies' ability to identify suspects and solve cases.

In addition to creating a system with powerful matching algorithms, the new National Palm Print System (NPPS) contains latent palm prints that will be searchable on a nationwide basis for the first time. Identification of palm prints, which represent about a third of all latent prints, has been used successfully in the past by investigators to match prints from a crime scene against those of known suspects. Now, law enforcement agencies can use the NPPS to compare latent palm prints in a matter of minutes to all of the records in the national database.

"The quantum leap in capabilities provided by Increment 3 and the NGI initiative overall are the result of the technology expertise and dedication of all the Lockheed Martin team members in combination with the vision and leadership of CJIS," said Stephanie C. Hill, president, Information Systems and Global Solutions-Civil, at Lockheed Martin, which also developed and implemented the FBI's legacy Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) system that has been in place since 1999. "We have supported the mission of the U.S. Department of Justice for nearly 40 years, and are committed to maximizing technology to help the FBI and other law enforcement agencies make the nation's streets safer."

NGI Increment 3 also includes improvements that are extending the breadth of searches. Records are managed more efficiently using the case management capabilities of a MorphoTrak product, which when combined with Lockheed Martin-developed software and Morpho search algorithms, allows for the processing of all hand friction ridge areas and prints on file from each arrest cycle. This enables law enforcement agencies to conduct searches with greater speed and convenience.

Previous NGI increments delivered by the Lockheed Martin team have already had a major impact on fingerprint search performance. System accuracy has increased, while response times for submissions were reduced.

NGI is taking the FBI's biometric identification services to the next level, with increased capacity and drastically reduced response times. NGI expansion and enhancements will continue through 2014 to deliver the world's largest electronic repository of biometric identification and criminal history information to assist law enforcement to solve and prevent crimes and terrorist activities and assist employers in hiring qualified workers.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 118,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion.

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http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/ngi.html

SOURCE Lockheed Martin Corporation