The footprint identification technique was developed for the purpose of monitoring individual endangered species. However, it has wider potential application in several other fields; it can be used to establish a species inventory for biodiversity monitoring, and as a consequence, also in the field of environmental impact assessment.
The ability to identify which individual made a footprint may allow FIT application in forensic science and law-enforcement. It can also be of value in the natural sciences for the identification and classification of natural forms, and in other scientific disciplines (eg archaeology) and security areas where object identification and classification is used.
A faked black rhino footprint in West Africa, which lead to confusion regarding the status of the Western subspecies of the black rhino.