Crime scene photography plays a fundamental role in forensic investigations. The primary purpose of crime scene photography is the recording of the entire crime scene, both the context and specific details relevant to the scene, for later recollection and analysis. The aim of this research was to design and verify a new, rapid and easy to use method for the recording of blood spatter at crime scenes to support the off-site determination of area of origin and/or other visually-based interpretive processes. This research determined the optimum operating conditions required for the successful high-resolution photographic documentation of blood spatter. This entailed creating a single panoramic image from a set of images, captured automatically without user input, in which both detail and context are provided as required for ex situ blood spatter analysis. The development of this research method was based on the GigaPanĀ® system, a robotised tripod-mounted hardware platform designed to interface with a digital camera and automate the panoramic image capture process. The GigaPanĀ® system was employed to capture a series of high-resolution images of various test targets to assist the investigation and evaluation of a range of hardware and software parameters that played a role in the creation of forensically useful panoramic images of blood spatter patterns. Investigated parameters included GigaPanĀ® hardware settings, digital image stitching software selection, subject to camera distance, picture overlap percentage, picture order setting and enhancement processes for improving the dimensional integrity of panoramas. Once optimal parameters had been determined the effectiveness of the method was evaluated. This was carried out by establishing the accuracy with which area of origin calculations could be conducted from the established panoramic blood spatter images. The results of this research demonstrate that the developed method can be employed to effectively capture a panoramic image of a scene containing blood spatter in which enough detail is present to conduct off-site area of origin determination of blood spatter. This method might allow blood spatter pattern experts to process spatter information off-site, resulting in a more streamlined investigative process.
Date of Award | 2018 |
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Original language | English |
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- legal photography
- photography
- panoramic
- crime scenes
- evidence
- criminal
- bloodstains
Evaluation of an automated panoramic imaging system for the photographic recording and analysis of blood spatter in crime scenes
Bonaccordo, E. (Author). 2018
Western Sydney University thesis: Master's thesis