Adjusting the minConfidence in the Plugin Config
- Colm Rogers
minConfidence is a parameter available for the plugin Config that sets a minimum confidence which has to be reached in order to trigger a scan result.
Depending on the use-case, the minConfidence value can be adjusted to meet the needs of the end-user. This article will outline reasons why any company/developer/end-user might wish to make such adjustments to the minConfidence parameter.
Understanding the minConfidence Parameter
The minConfidence is something that changes for each end-user, as it depends on the scanning environment. Changing the minConfidence value changes the precision and recall of the whole scanning script.
Setting a high minConfidence value typically tends to cause fewer scan results, but with greater accuracy. Conversely, a low minConfidence value would yield more scan results, but potentially compromises on the accuracy.
As a general rule of thumb, our default setting for the minConfidence value is somewhere in the middle.
PLEASE NOTE:
While setting a high minConfidence value does tend to mostly yield more accurate scan results, some misclassifications may still happen.
"viewPlugin": {
"plugin": {
"id": "DRIVING_LICENSE",
"idPlugin": {
"universalIdConfig": {
"allowedLayouts": {
"drivingLicense": []
},
"drivingLicense": {
"lastName": {"scanOption": 0, "minConfidence": 40},
"firstName": {"scanOption": 0, "minConfidence": 40},
"fullName": {"scanOption": 0, "minConfidence": 40},
"dateOfBirth": {"scanOption": 0, "minConfidence": 50},
"placeOfBirth": {"scanOption": 1, "minConfidence": 50},
"dateOfIssue": {"scanOption": 0, "minConfidence": 50},
"dateOfExpiry": {"scanOption": 1, "minConfidence": 50},
"authority": {"scanOption": 1, "minConfidence": 30},
"documentNumber": {"scanOption": 0, "minConfidence": 40},
"licenseClass": {"scanOption": 1, "minConfidence": 30},
"address": {"scanOption": 0},
"sex": {"scanOption": 1,"minConfidence": 60},
"personalNumber": {"scanOption": 1,"minConfidence": 60}
},
}
}
},
Examples of Different Industries requiring Different Confidence Values
Some end-users might require a high confidence to avoid wrong readings, whereas others might wish to lower the confidence to gain more speed.
Speed over Accuracy
One example of an industry that would require speed over accuracy is the Event Management Industry.
In this scenario, during any event, staff often need to quickly scan IDs of thousands of attendees to verify their identities. Given the high volume of packages that need to be processed in a short amount of time, speed is often more important than accuracy.
While accuracy is still a priority, speed is crucial to prevent long queues and ensure a smooth entry process, so there can be room for tolerating a slight margin of error. While the decision to lower minConfidence should be made carefully, considering the potential trade-offs, trying to achieve a much higher accuracy on the first scan could result in delays and longer queues and waiting times.
Accuracy over Speed
One example of an industry where the opposite would be the case is the Banking and Finance Industry.
When a bank is developing a mobile app for its customers, one certain feature would be the ability to open a new account using a scanned ID (Driver’s License, Passport, etc.) for identity verification. A higher accuracy in this context would be much more vital as any misread or inaccurate ID could lead to potentially increasing the risk of identity theft and fraud.
It would therefore be more beneficial to adjust the minConfidence to prioritise accuracy over speed. Even if it takes a bit longer to process a new account, the trade-off for ensuring client safety and lowering the potential cost and risk associated with incorrect identification would be worth it.
Configs that include minConfidence
ocrConfigcontainerConfigtireMakeConfigcommercialTireIdConfigtireSizeConfigtinConfiglicensePlateConfigmeterConfigodometerConfigmrzConfiguniversalIdConfigvehicleRegistrationCertificateConfigjapaneseLandingPermissionConfig
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