Forensic gait analysis - Morphometric assessment from surveillance footage

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Biometrics
• Computer Vision

Background:

• The proliferation of surveillance cameras has increased interest in analyzing gathered footage for forensic and policing purposes.
• Gait characteristics derived from body analysis are recognized as potentially valuable investigative information.
• Existing methods for gait assessment face limitations due to factors like individual anatomical variations and surveillance footage quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss factors influencing gait analysis from surveillance footage.
• To review and compare various gait assessment techniques, including biometric gait recognition, forensic gait analysis, tracking, and marker technology.
• To identify limitations and literature gaps in current gait analysis methods.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of gait analysis techniques and influencing factors.
• Discussion of biometric gait recognition, forensic gait analysis, tracking, and marker technologies.
• Proposal of a novel 'morphometric' technique for gait assessment.

Main Results:

• Current gait assessment methods have limitations, particularly concerning influences on the gait cycle.
• Various techniques exist for gait analysis, each with specific applications and constraints.
• A morphometric technique is proposed to enhance existing procedures.

Conclusions:

• Standardized protocols and databases are needed to improve the reliability of gait analysis in forensics.
• The proposed morphometric technique could enhance gait assessment procedures.
• Improved gait analysis can provide meaningful data for forensic investigations and intelligence gathering.