Multi-format 3D data to enable qualitative and quantitative analysis of crime scenes reconstructions

Crime scene investigation is a resource-intensive process, demanding significant time, equipment, and expertise. Current documentation practices rely on various sensors and tools to capture the scene’s state, yet the absence of standardised protocols highlights both inter- and intra-national disparities. Moreover, available forensic tools are often underutilised, despite their potential to enhance data collection and streamline documentation processes.<br/>This paper proposes Single-Source Multi-Format Derived Data (SSMDD), a new paradigm in crime scene documentation that creates multiple formats of data from one acquisition of ground truth data. Using a monocular full-frame camera, we capture a sequence of photographs or video frames to produce a point cloud, 3D mesh model, and radiance field. These formats collectively enable accurate measurements, high visual fidelity, and reliable spatial analysis, offering both qualitative and quantitative insights.<br/>The SSMDD framework minimises the use of extra surveying devices, saving costs, and time, and reducing further contamination of the scene. It simplifies the workflow while maintaining robust standards for documentation by providing cross-modal data from a single sensor.<br/>With the prospect of detailed digital twins, SSMDD will be a game-changing tool for forensic science in an operational way. Based on this conceptual framework, uncomplicated uses of available technology create new avenues for easy, time-saving, standardised documentation of a crime scene.