Foren-STR: a comprehensive tool for rapid calculation of forensic parameters from autosomal STR data

In forensic genetics, prior to solving paternity or identification cases, it is mandatory to analyze population data of genetic markers to ensure the quality of the estimations in the required calculations. Currently, there are several tools that analyze forensic population parameters and population genetic statistics. However, the use of some of these tools can be time-consuming, as there is a learning curve to get familiarized with them, a situation that can be complicated due to the workload of forensic laboratories. Here, we propose a comprehensive tool for the quick calculation of forensic parameters and some population genetic statistics for an autosomal Short Tandem Repeats (STR) database. This tool is a web-based application ( https://enacif.shinyapps.io/Foren-STR/ ) developed in R, which estimates Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HW), probability of match (PM), power of discrimination (PD), and power of exclusion (PE). Additionally, it can analyze more than one population and graphically infer whether there is population substructure through a heatmap or by statistically calculating genetic distances, such as F_st. The results of this tool are similar to those of other tools, providing an alternative and user-friendly option for forensic geneticists.