Imagery has always been a crucial tool for educating audiences. Research shows about 65% of humans retain visual information better than any other format (Zopf et al., 2004), and as everyday communication becomes more visual than textual or verbal, it would make sense for this number to increase. In addition, visual communication is vastly superior to verbal in creating a uniform consensus. Verbal input requires an audience, such as a jury, to imagine a scene or event based on a narrative; visual communication eliminates potential divergent views and focuses the entire audience on a single, coherent picture of the event. For this reason, forensic imagery has always had a role in communicating critical incidents to juries in trial.

Today, experts have many technical resources to communicate the intricacies of forensic incidents accurately, persuasively and briefly. Some of these tools, such as forensic laser scanning and 3D Animation, play a unique role in enabling experts to create visual reconstructions of true concepts for jury visualization. One growing area of technology becoming popular for its visual capabilities among forensic specialists and the general public is UAV’s or drones.

Drones are flying devices piloted by remote users that have a camera mounted to them. This camera enables the pilot to take photos or videos from high or far to reach distances, as well as from never-before-seen perspectives. They’re excellent for showing large landscapes, city grids, or even Wrigley Field from every possible angle!

This technology has become a staple not only for the savvy content creators, but also for forensic experts, police departments and investigators nationwide. Photography has been an important forensic tool for investigations and trials since Belgian jailers invented the mugshot in the 1840’s. Now, by quickly deploying these tiny flyers after a critical incident, responders can capture data for an entire incident area that truly helps show the bigger picture.

The following are a few unique capabilities for which 3D Forensic utilizes drones in forensic analysis:

Overhead Observation

Most drones today can fly up to 400 feet or about 120 meters, which enables experts to take photos and videos of forensic subjects from higher angles and capture wider fields-of-view than would be possible from ground-level perspectives. Capturing imagery from these heights allows experts to observe large environments like roads, lots or buildings much easier than images from ground level. This in turn makes it easier to connect how elements in one area affect another area

Additionally, after an accident, cities or landowners will often change aspects of the environment that may have caused the accident. For experts who can inspect areas prior to these changes, drones enable them to capture large-scale areas with all the relevant aspects visible and evident. This technology makes it much easier to map out evidence or events spanning a large area instead of relying on imperfect diagrams or series of multi-perspective images.

Photogrammetry

For forensic specialists who utilize 3D animation, drone scanning can expedite complex 3D modeling tasks. Using a drone to take a large number of photos and videos of an area of focus from 360 degrees, these images can be spliced together to create basic models with depths, colors and textures from the real thing. These drone-derived 3D models are excellent starting points for 3D reconstructions and can be aligned to 3D Laser Scans for forensic-level accuracy.

Drones are also becoming equipped with laser scanners today, making large-scale scan jobs even easier to capture. As this technology becomes more accessible, expect even greater utilization of lidar in courtroom analysis and demonstration.

Reconstruction Cinematography

To test or verify incident reconstructions, experts may need to re-enact these situations to verify that the variables of positions, timing and outcomes all add up. Videos of these reconstruction re-enactments can serve as forensic exhibits to support an expert's conclusions, but if these exhibits aren’t captured effectively, the whole effort could be a waste.

Even for 3DF’s full production team, only one pilot is needed to film a re-enactment and easily switch angles between takes, With a pilot manning the aircraft, the expert can focus on executing the reconstruction accurately, then show the video to an audience in a format that clearly breaks down why the incident occurred. Flying a drone to capture a reconstruction is often much simpler than mounting and unmounting a series of cameras as well.

Entrusting your case with an expert or visual team requires full faith in their ability to accurately portray the forensic incident. As 3DF seeks new ways to visualize complex incidents, the aforementioned capabilities are opening the door to new innovations in our courtroom demonstrations. By working with 3DF and utilizing these methods, attorneys can ensure they are taking the necessary steps to ensure justice for their clients.

3D Forensic Inc utilizes an arsenal of the most advanced forensic technology to compellingly break down complex incidents for courtroom audiences. These tools include the most state-of-the-art aerial drones, lidar scanners, visualization software and visibility-focused technology. With our deep forensic expertise, world-class visual specialists, and record of 100% admissibility for over 20 years on your side, we elevate the essential truths of your case so that juries and judges understand your client’s stories.///

Written/edited by Sean Daly and Craig Fries.