If I could understand clearly the "racial and ethnic origin of human with the aid of a computer" is/are digital immigrants. This may be called a digital divide, based on ethnic/racial origin.

Digital natives, young people who are “native speakers” of the language of computers, video games, and Internet, are learning to adapt to new technologies at a faster rate than those of us who are digital immigrants; people who were not born into the digital world but learned the language and the new technology later on in life.

http://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/hip/us/hip_us_pearsonhighered/samplechapter/0135014638.pdf

If I could understand clearly the "racial and ethnic origin of human with the aid of a computer" is/are digital immigrants. This may be called a digital divide, based on ethnic/racial origin.

Digital natives, young people who are “native speakers” of the language of computers, video games, and Internet, are learning to adapt to new technologies at a faster rate than those of us who are digital immigrants; people who were not born into the digital world but learned the language and the new technology later on in life.

http://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/hip/us/hip_us_pearsonhighered/samplechapter/0135014638.pdf

Dear @Subhash C. Kundu, thank you very much for  interesting opinion.

Not sure I quite understand the question, dear Shafagat, but scientifically there is no such thing as race, we're all insignificant variations (due to differences in climate) of a common stock. Some groups may exhibit a slightly greater incidence of this or that gene (or gene expression), which however overlaps across the board and does not amount to race. May I ask why you are asking?

Dear  @H Chris Ransford, 

Read my article, please.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279299807_System_of_recognition_of_an_accessory_of_persons_to_racial_and_an_ethnic_group_on_the_basis_of_photographs

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277477208_Statistical_Analysis_of_the_Characteristic_Features_of_Standard_Image_for_Racial_and_Ethnic_Identity_of_a_Person

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273004225_System_of_Recognition_of_an_Accessory_of_Persons_to_Racial_and_an_Ethnic_Group_on_the_Basis_of_Photographs

Regards, Shafagat

Article System of recognition of an accessory of persons to racial a...

Article Statistical Analysis of the Characteristic Features of Stand...

Conference Paper System of Recognition of an Accessory of Persons to Racial a...

Genetics tells us now that there are NO RACES. We are all too much connected and the shifting away from the supposed Center in central-south- Africa, probabely the bushmen´s ancestors, is much too gradually. But the difference between all the individuals on the other side is much bigger than we thought, as each genetic heritage is unique.  -  good to Keep in mind.

Otherwise i did not understand your question. Is it too diffucult to look for someone who knows English and to put in letters what you want to express, as this is no guess-ground?

From the conclusion of the article I take it that the intended use is narrowing down the search pool when looking for people with face-recognition software ? Fair enough, but from what I know of the face recognition software apps used in the US, such apps totally bypass any 'race' pre-selection and cut straight to individual face characteristics, irrespective of ethnicity. Maybe pre-selecting on the basis of race only adds in an extra layer that might not prove very useful, or perhaps it depends on the environment - some areas are ethnically homogeneous (North Korea) and others extremely diverse and gene-mingled (USA, Western Europe), thereby mixing up and blurring 'racial' markers. However even in racially homogeneous environments, this added layer may also be less useful than it seems for ID purposes - since everybody belongs to a same group?

I am in principle a bit worried by such applications, because historically any means of differentiating between races (such as, relatively recently, the ethnic group mention on erstwhile Rwanda ID cards) have often led to horrific abuse. It's a dangerous road to tread, isn't it? .....

Now that i have been reading the articles as well, i must follow Chris. Is it used for somekind of Big Brother is watching and discriminating you?

I cannot imagine any real scientific use and aims , as many things are more important than ethnicity. So i am wondering if your aims should be supported.

Dear Shafagat and All,

As far as I know there is only one human race that is descended from Lucy and her recent discovered male species in Ethiopia, Africa.  Then after, we all are products of weather and the environment we lived for centuries and centuries and of course the hybridization of modern humans with the Neanderthals (speculation). Regarding the identification of a human race with a photograph seems an intellectual abuse or misuse of power. If you put all people in black and white, you will be in trouble to identify who is who, and  most people actually look alike in that setting. 

Besides, as dear Chris has said, it may have more damaging consequences than what we intend to solve, if there is one at all. 

Today large amount of data are available to study the population based on a complex issue of  racial and ethnic identities. There are many sources of information about health, so it would be impossible to discuss all the intricacies of how racial and ethnic data are collected for health surveys. Anything to implement in computer system we have two basic requirements: logic and data. For this reason, it is important to examine how the data sets measure race and ethnicity. 

Dear @Md Asraful Haque,

Thank you for opinion.

Theoretical studies and practical results of recognition by national - racial affiliation based on the portrait photographs can be used in the interests of the many professions that require adequate recognition of people (medical field, customs, border control, security, etc.). Upon determining the identity based on identification systems, the basis of which contain several millions of portraits – will significantly narrow the search area while reducing the time of recognition.

Regards, Shafagat

Dear Colleagues,

Good Day,

@ Prof.  Shafagat,

I found really excellent paper by you and your co-author about the thread,  please see the attachment. 

http://file.scirp.org/Html/5-7900336_48464.htm

Dear @Hazim Hashim Tahir,

Thank you so much.

Regards, Shafagat

Dear @Brenda Jacono,

Thank yu very much for opinion.

Identification problem based on race and ethnicity is one of the topical problems in the developing information society. Currently, specialists of different scientific fields are engaged in this issue. Existing problems in this field are solved in different forms. Different methods are used in solution of these problems. Ethnography is engaged in solution of the problems.

Races were formed during the evolution of the humanity and are distinguished in certain geographical territories where they are spread. Issues related to races and their primary division is solved in different forms and selection of indications depends on the used system.

Race is a system of human groups that combine genetic biological signs and external similarities formed in a certain geographical region. Characteristic lines of different races are possible as a result of adaptation of people to a certain environment.

Generally, human faces are divided in three racial clusters:

1. mongoloid;

2. Avropoid;

3. negroid.

Theoretical studies and practical results of recognition by national - racial affiliation based on the portrait photographs can be used in the interests of the many professions that require adequate recognition of people (medical field, customs, border control, security, etc.). Upon determining the identity based on identification systems, the basis of which contain several millions of portraits – will significantly narrow the search area while reducing the time of recognition.

Dear @Barbara Sawicka, 

Thank you very much for attention.

Regards, Shafagat

In Palestine (my country), I do not think that any computer on earth can help in defining the racial & ethnic origins of the people because we are a diverse heterogeneous mixture of colors (black, negro,white, greenish, yellowish, blondes, brownish...), various heights, several facial expressions, and range of body weights.When I lived in Great Britain, I was thought of (by many persons) as either Polish or Italian or Greek or English but ,of course, I was none of these!

I definitely agree with Nizar.

Many historical events had caused a large mixing between racial and ethnic origins. I find it difficult to sort through computer programs, but it could be done via modern genetics test.

Article: Critical Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late

Life. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK25522/

Dear @Nizar Matar  & @Fikrat Hassan,

Thank you so much for opinion.

Regards, Shafagat

 Dear Shafagat Mahmudova,

Very informative papers you have attached. Thanks!

Dear  @Nizar Matar,

Read my article, please, my opinion will understand.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269109440_About_a_Method_of_Recognition_of_Race_and_Ethnicity_of_Individuals_Based_on_Portrait_Photographs

Regards, Shafagat

Article About a Method of Recognition of Race and Ethnicity of Indiv...

Dear all,

In my opinion, the term “racial” is inconsistent with the field of medicine or with the scientific community and the issue discussed here involves a conflict with ethical principles (selected subjects should give their informed consent). In biomedical sciences, research on identifiable human material or identifiable data is clearly stated by the Declaration of Helsinki. Regards!

Dear Shafagat,

I read, with great interest, your good article. I think that the method, you suggested, is a good one provided that there is an element of homogeneity in a specific location. However, the method cannot be applied in places where there is diverse heterogeneity (such as our country). This is because there has been, in addition to what I mentioned in my previous contribution, plenty of interracial marriages at home & abroad. Few days ago, I saw a girl in my university who looked Chinese but after she talked, I found out that she was Palestinian. In Nablus (the city in which I work), there are many old ladies "who live in the old city" who came here from Syria or Turkey or Egypt long time ago. In short, it is difficult to see distinctive facial expressions in any street or city or region in this holy land.

Dear @Nizar Matar, 

Thank you so much for you opinion. 

The fact that we have given a general metod,  about a Method of Recognition of Race and Ethnicity of Individuals Based on PhotoPortrait. İt does not matter that the mestizo or mulatto, are determined by race and ethnicity.

Regards, Shafagat

Ethnicity Identification from Face Images

Human facial images provide the demographic information, such as ethnicity and gender. Conversely, ethnicity and gender also play an important role in face-related applications. Image-based ethnicity identification problem is addressed in a machine learning framework. The Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) based scheme is presented for the two-class (Asian vs. non-Asian) ethnicity classification task. Multiscale analysis is applied to the input facial images. An ensemble framework, which integrates the LDA analysis for the input face images at different scales, is proposed to further improve the classification performance. The product rule is used as the combination strategy in the ensemble. Experimental results based on a face database containing 263 subjects (2,630 face images, with equal balance between the two classes) are promising, indicating that LDA and the proposed ensemble framework have sufficient discriminative power for the ethnicity classification problem. The normalized ethnicity classification scores can be helpful in the facial identity recognition. Useful as a ”soft” biometric, face matching scores can be updated based on the output of ethnicity classification module. In other words, ethnicity classifier does not have to be perfect to be useful in practice.

http://visgraph.cs.ust.hk/biometrics/Papers/Face/SPIE__04_2004.pdf

Dear @Subhash C. Kundu,

Thank you so much for information and file.

Regards, Shafagat

Heisenberg wrote about Physics what is true for many other subjects, but unfortunately often overseen: You do not explore physics etc., but you only get an answer (hopefully)on the question you have been putting on your object of reseach. And your question of course is determined by how bright you are, what is important for you from your personal, financial, social, cultural, emotional, spiritual, ...... Point of view. Which altogether Shows, there is no neutral, objective, valuefree Research.

And we in Germany have been stuyding this probematic of abuse of scientific Research by politicians especially after HITLER. And the socalled case Oppenheimer is well known to all Germans of my Generation.

What if Hitler or Stalin or ... would have used what you wish to develop? May it work or not the result would have been an even bigger disaster.

So: cave canem. Or beware of the beginnings.

What particularly surprising is the study looks something emulated from Hitler's vision of what a perfect German person had to be just by measurements alone. His study team were presenting the requirements on how wide and symmetric the face hass to be, how wide the nose but not proded out like a Jew nose, which they thought as an inferior and sub human race. I am not sure what knowing the dimensions of faces and bones relevant to health issues.

There are also some differences on facial features due to altitude alone. I wonder if that was taken into consideration?

"The concept of human races appears to be solidly grounded in present-day biology and our evolutionary history. But if you asked that conference of geneticists to give you a genetic (DNA-based) definition of race, they wouldn’t be able to do it. Human races are not natural genetic groups; they are socially constructed categories."

From "Why your race is not genetic" [ http://www.psmag.com/nature-and-technology/why-your-race-isnt-genetic-82475 ]

Although scientists have been using DNA-based phylogenetic method to place each of the various organisms on the evolutionary tree, however, if you are looking for using computers and DNA databases to find out human 'races', it can be in vain.

Speaking of human race: our oldest cousin so far, Homo naledi, was recently discovered and reported (see below picture; 2015 Sept)........

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/09/10/437249183/south-african-cave-yields-strange-bones-of-early-human-like-species

Dear @Yuan-Yeu Yau,

Thank you so much for information and link.

Best regards, Shafagat

Its not only about ethics and discrimination, some data of people in irrelevant sites may hurt them very badly, such data can potentially ruin marriages, destroy careers and cull out serious identity crises. 

With the advance of genetic tools and the discovery of novel markers, closed related ethnic groups can be distinguished. See the recent report attached below. They are using a DNA markers called SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) for the research.