NCFS Database Quick Reference List:

• Ignitable Liquids Reference Collection (ILRC Database)
• Substrate Database
• U.S. Y-STR Database

The Ignitable Liquids Reference Collection (ILRC) was developed by the ILRC Committee of the Technical Working Group for Fire and Explosives (TWGFEX). The ILRC is a compilation of reference materials used by forensic analysts to conduct fire debris analysis. The ILRC consists of a comprehensive set of ignitable liquids and accompanying characterization data used in the analysis of fire debris samples in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E-1618 standard test methods.

Ignitable Liquids Reference Collection (ILRC Database)

Samples from the ILRC repository may  be purchased from NCFS.  Samples are $ 5.00 each plus shipping and handling. ILRC Order Form. All samples will be delivered via UPS-Ground in 1/2 dram vials on activated charcoal. Sample is $5.00 per sample and $7.50 for shipping and handling.

The Substrate Database was developed by the ILRC Committee of the Technical Working Group for Fire and Explosives (TWGFEX). The Substrate Database is a compilation of characterization data from materials which may produce interfering products in fire debris.  The Substrate Database is a tool designed to assist forensic analysts conducting fire debris analysis.

Substrate Database

U.S. Y-STR Database

The significance of a Y-STR match in casework is estimated by reference to a reliable and relevant database of Y-STR profiles. The National Center for Forensic Science (NCFS), in conjunction with the Y-STR Consortium, has created a comprehensive, online Y-STR reference database of more than 13,000 haplotypes.

The U.S. Y-STR Database, a searchable listing of 11- to 17-locus Y-STR haplotypes located on the web at www.usystrdatabase.org, was developed by combining data from NCFS with databases from government, commercial, and academic resources throughout the United States. The database provides tools for laboratories to obtain Y-STR haplotype frequencies needed to calculate matching or paternity probabilities with confidence intervals. Other features include the ability to simultaneously upload multiple haplotypes for searches directly from Genotyper® and GeneMapper® text files, the ability to include or exclude sampled populations, and a report-style printout of the results. Samples are divided into five forensically relevant ancestries: African-American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic and Native American.

All forensic laboratories and institutions are invited to contribute to the U.S. Y-STR Database. The resulting increase in the database size and the inclusion of geographically and ethnically varied population groups will increase the scientific and forensic efficacy of the database.

Note: This database does not function like the more commonly used CODIS database. This is a population database only and is intended for use in estimating Y-STR haplotype population frequencies for forensic case work purposes. It cannot be used to identify a particular individual whose sample is in the database. All donors are anonymous, haplotypes cannot be traced back to specific individuals, and original electropherograms do not exist in a curated fashion.

NCFS also maintains, and is still expanding, its own Y-STR database that comprises >100 loci and >2000 samples.