Development of a 3D-based automated firearms evidence comparison system

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Computer Vision
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Automated firearms evidence comparison aims to enhance crime-fighting capabilities by analyzing large datasets.
• Current systems, Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) and DRUGFIRE, rely on 2D surface representations.
• These 2D systems show limitations in accurately identifying bullets, falling short of firearms examiner expectations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if a 3D characterization of bullet surfaces improves automated microscopic comparison system performance.
• To develop and evaluate SciClops, a novel automated microscopic comparison system employing 3D bullet surface data.

Main Methods:

• Development of the SciClops system for capturing and analyzing three-dimensional (3D) bullet surface characteristics.
• Comparison of the performance of 3D characterization against traditional 2D methods used in ballistics identification.

Main Results:

• Preliminary results indicate that 3D characterization offers a more comprehensive representation of bullet surfaces.
• The SciClops system demonstrates potential for enhanced accuracy in bullet identification compared to existing 2D systems.

Conclusions:

• A 3D characterization of bullet surfaces is a promising alternative to 2D methods for improving automated firearms evidence analysis.
• The SciClops system represents a significant advancement in the field of forensic ballistics identification.