3D Scanners in Forensics

This area of the forum is to introduce some of the applications of 3D scanning techniques in Forensics. 3D Scanning with Lidar Scanners, photogrammetry and other systems can be an extremely useful tool when understood properly.

On a personal note, there are many articles that overstate the usefulness of 3D scanners and they make it sound as if you have all the answers once a scan is complete. This is far from the truth. In fact, it is an extremely dangerous tool when people start relying on the technology to "find" things that could have been found at the scene of a crime by an experienced investigator. In fact, it is much easier to lose something in a 3D scan or have something go unnoticed than when one is actually present at the scene.

Also, the massive amounts of data that are generated by a 3D scanner means that someone needs to be able to manipulate the data into something meaningful. If it's just going to be used to measure a couple of points, that can usually be accomplished with a tape meausure or a total station at a fraction of the cost of a 3D Lidar Scanner.

It is important to keep in mind that Lidar scanners and other types of scanners have issues collecting data from specular, shiny and reflective objects. The error is often noticeable as "noise" and it isn't always clear what the accuracy of any particular scan is going to be as it often depends on what is being measured.

However, since 3D scanners are non-contact measuring devices that rapidly collect large amounts of data, they are especially well suited to very large and complex scenes where manual methods or a total station would be extremely cumbersome. Imagine an aircraft accident where the pieces of the crash are spread out over several thousands of feet. Alternatively, there could be a crime that had taken place in a small alleyway where a lot of evidence (blood, bullets, tool marks...etc.) is spread all over the scene.

Therefore, it is the itnention of this thread to help educate and inform those in the area of crime and accident investigations as to what are the best uses of 3D scanning for both small and large scenes.