Date of Award
2016
Publication Type
Master Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology
Keywords
Crime scene investigation; Faro Focus; Forensic anthropology; Novel science; Terrestrial laser scanners
Supervisor
Albanese, John
Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Terrestrial laser scanners are sophisticated measurement devices that have relatively recently become forensic tools. Despite a respectable breadth on the topic in existing literature, issues surrounding the use of this technology on-scene, the validity of its accuracy, and the legal evidentiary implications of its use remain largely unexplored. This research explored these gaps via experimentation with the Faro Focus3D 330X’s accuracy and forensic anthropological utility (the latter tested through biological characteristic estimation regression models). This experiment was situated in a broader legal evidentiary context that involved review of relevant case law and a case study of the first use of TLS-produced evidence in Canada. Results show that the device has an error rate of approximately 3 mm. Measurements obtained and inputted into the forensic anthropological regression models yielded results quite similar to those estimated by control (i.e., by hand) measurements, despite statistically significantly different means.
Recommended Citation
Mullins, Ryan Andrew, "Virtual Views: Exploring the Utility and Impact of Terrestrial Laser Scanners In Forensics and Law" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5855.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5855