LUCIA Forensic Systems

Introduction With the wide range of daily tasks connected with image documentation and analysis, criminology represents an ideal field for applications of com-puter assisted image archiving and analysis. The specialized LUCIA Forensic system was designed, constructed, and continues to be developed in tight cooperation with various forensic laborato-ries and forensic science institutes. Suggestions and requirements of criminalistic experts have resulted in several modules and specialized func-tions.

LUCIA Forensic is used worldwide Laboratory Imaging entered the forensic applica-tions development in 1993. Since then, we sold more than 150 systems in the Czech Republic, Bel-gium, Romania, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, Poland, Great Britain and China. Our main users are po-lice forensic laboratories (Czech Rep. more than 50 systems, Belgium 27 systems, Romania more than 70 systems, BKA Wiesbaden). Other users are from customs, banks (European National Bank, Belgium National Bank) and police schools. LUCIA Forensic team is flexible. We organize meetings and courses for our users. Also a very good tech-nical support is provided.

Special forensic devices: LUCIA Forensic systems consist not only from the software, but also special devices are used. For example: spectrometers, bullet and cartridge scan-ners, special solutions for multispectral signatures analysis and of course different optical devices such as: microscopes, macroscopes, cameras, light sources, light guides, filters, repro stands and other.

FEATURES OF LUCIA FORENSIC SOFTWARE

Capturing of images, image documentation Live image from different cameras can be used. LUCIA system controls the camera and stores im-ages to the disc. Live scene from the camera is dis-played on a monitor. Digital photo cameras can be also used, captured images from a digital photo camera can be opened in LUCIA. Existing images can be enhanced, annotated, printed or organized to user designed databases. Picture 1 Album with captured images

Comparisons of two images Two images can be loaded to the actual and refer-ence picture and compared. It is possible to choose from several comparison modes such as: overlayed (e.g. used in documents and signatures analyses), vertical, horizontal (ballistics, toolmarks), chopper, red-green, and binary masked. If the compared objects do not have the same size (captured under different magnification), it is possi-ble to stretch the images to the same size. Special comparison techniques can be used as demonstrated on the picture 5, where several bul-let pictures from the same gun were subsequently opened and compared.

Picture 2 Horizontal comparison

Picture 3 Overlay comparison Picture 4 Vertical comparison

Picture 5 Multiple pictures comparison Picture 6 Interactive measurement example

Interactive measurement The system can be size-calibrated for different magnifications. The real size of a one pixel is de-

fined during the calibration process. The calibration can be also done on an individual picture, where the scale is present. It is possible to interactively measure real sizes and angles on a calibrated image. The measured results can be inserted as annota-tions to the image. It is also possible to generate the electonical rulers. An example of a ruler and interactive measurement can be seen on picture 6.

Shueprints system This is a special system for shoeprints capturing and investigation. It consists from a repro stand with camera and lights, a lightguide for flat enlight-enment, computer, printer and LUCIA Forensic software. At first an image is captured. Then con-trast enhancement is done, and interesting parts of the picture are kept. For comparison of shoeprints binary segmentation can be used. A binary image is generated from the test shoeprint and this image is compared with the image of crime-scene shoe-print. The special printing function enables printing in a defined scale; the shoeprint can be for example printed in a scale 1:1.

Picture 7 Photo of the device

Picture 8 Control shoeprint (left) and the shoeprint from the crime-scene (right)

Picture 9 Binary overlay com-parison the red image of the seg-mented control shoeprint is over-layed with the con-trol shoeprint

Picture 10 Binary contour comparison, con-tours are displayed from the control shoeprint

Picture 11 Another example of binary contour comparison

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Picture 12 Screenshot of a comparison toolbar

BullScan system BullScan system consists of a special motorized device, digital camera, PC, LUCIA software and module for driving the device. This system enables to scan the shell of the bullets with a bullet diame-ter in the range from 7 mm to 15 mm. The car-tridge cases can be scanned in the sizes from 7 to 22 mm. The bullet shell is 360 degrees rotated and scan results in a high resolution picture. Two shell pic-tures can be conveniently compared. White LED ring light enables to enlighten the scene from dif-ferent angles ant choose the optimum illumination angle. Further, it is possible to combine different illuminations into one image via maximum, mini-mum and mean intensity values projections.

Picture 13 Photo of the device (detail, simulated picture)

Picture 15 3D reconstruction of marks on a cartridge case

High resolution cartridge case images can be scanned. It is also possible to compare two car-tridge case images. Special technique enables to create 3D cartridge case reconstructions. Scanned images can be organized in the user data-bases. We are working on sharing the images over the network. The big challenge is the automated searching in the database based on markers simi-larity.

Picture 14 Image of captured bullet shell

Signatures measurement module Signature module is an additional software plugin designed for manual measurement of signatures and for measurement statistics. First a measure-ment template must be defined on a signature. Software enables to measure the length (e.g. total signature length, distances between letters, etc.), angle (signature angle, different letters angle), count and density. The measurement template is stored and different signatures can be measured by the use of a one template. As a result, there is gen-erated a comparison data table with signature length, angle and density values and with corre-sponding measurement statistics.

Picture 16 Comparison of two signatures

Picture 17 Ink density pseudo-color visualization Picture 18 Window with a sample firearms database

Customized systems for spectral imaging Laboratory Imaging has build last year several cus-tomized devices for visible and near infrared docu-ment and signature spectral analysis. These sys-tems are suitable for advanced signature analysis purposes and well as for special tasks connected with multispectral document analysis.

Database module This module enables to create image databases with user defined structure. Various images can be organized in the database. It is also possible to search images by the keywords as well as sort and group them according to database records. Web DB software enables to publish the database on the internet or intranet and browse it with a regu-lar internet browser.

Picture 19 An overlay of two inks captured in visible region (top image) and near infrared region (bottom). The second ink (FORENSIC) has another absorp-tion and can be visualized in near infrared region.

Spectroscopy module LUCIA Spectroscopy module can work with Ocean Optics and Avantes spectrometers. It is possible to display live spectra, store them, com-pare them and make spectral colorimetric meas-urements. LIM delivered several systems with image and spectra synchronization. Light is di-vided into two parts by a optical double port and one part goes to camera and another to spec-trometer. Live image from camera and live signal from spectrometer are displayed together.

Laboratory Imaging s.r.o., Za Drahou 171/17, CZ, Prague 10 Hostiva

Tel: (+420) 272 081 400, Fax: (+420) 271 732 657

Email: forensic@lim.cz, Web: www.lucia-forensic.com

Holograms customized solutions We created a customized solution for holograms analysis. The hologram is illuminated by a laser light under different angles. The illumination angles alpha and beta are adjusted by a goniometer. Se-ries of monochrome images for varying angles al-pha and beta are taken. They are reconstructed by LUCIA software to a color image. The color is assigned to the pixel according to the interfer-ence. The another possibility is to compose high resolution images of holograms from multiple im-age frames. In the moment the device is not motorized and must be operated manually. In LIM, we plan to further improve this solution and build a special system for holograms examination.

Images not taken by LIM were reproduced with a kind per-mission of the Institute of Criminalistics Prague and Forensic Expertise departments of the Police Czech Rep. and Belgian Federal Police

Picture 20 Microscope with double port for spectroscopy

Picture 21 Composed hologram image

Picture 22 Image taken under angle alpha 28 degrees Picture 23 Image taken under angle alpha 33 degrees