Fraudulent activities often involve document manipulation, which poses a significant challenge to forensic science. To address this issue, a novel method was developed that combines intended artificial UV pre-degradation, digital color analysis (DCA) of stroke images, and various machine learning (ML) models. This method can cluster blue ballpoint pen inks and predict their photodegradation time. The results of the study indicate that the k-shape clustering method is highly effective in differentiating between inks based on their degradation curve patterns and HSV or RBS color features, aligning well with results from chromatography analyses. Furthermore, the random forest regression model demonstrated superior performance in predicting age, exhibiting the highest coefficients of determination. The DCA-ML method is a straightforward, cost-effective, and highly accurate solution for clustering blue pen inks. Using photodegradation curves to predict document age could eliminate the need for conventional physicochemical analysis techniques.
Original languageEnglish
Article number112236
Number of pages9
JournalForensic Science International
Volume364
Early online date27 Sep 2024
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Nov 2024

    Research areas

  • Classification, Digital color analysis, Document degradation, Forensic analysis, Ink, Machine learning

ID: 125653126