The University of Sheffield
Prospective International Students

12 June 2009

`CSI´ style technology now a reality

Engineers at the University of Sheffield have developed a revolutionary piece of software to enhance the analysis and management of forensic details at a crime scene thanks to funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Footwear, gloves, tyres and fingerprints can all leave traces at crime scenes and so yield important forensic evidence. The University´s Vision and Information Engineering (VIE) group launched their new software yesterday (Thursday 11 June 2009) at a major gathering of UK Police forensic experts.

The software, Latent Image Markup and Analysis (LIMA), will provide a common environment for acquiring, enhancing, searching and comparing a range of crime scene evidence. It will seamlessly combine the skills of the expert examiner with the capabilities of current computing and networking.

Within a single application, a digital photograph of a shoeprint or a tyre-track can be transmitted from a crime scene direct to a forensic bureau, where it can be accurately scaled and have its perspective corrected and matched for a particular shoe or tyre model against a database of thousands. The information can then even be sent to an investigator in the field meaning `CSI´ is no longer just a fictional TV programme but fast becoming the reality for crime investigations.

The research team consisting of Professor Nigel Allinson, Dr Maria Pavlou and Dr Phil Worthington from the University have worked closely with UK Police Forces. The VIE group´s previous development for reliably and securely transmitting images, in particular fingerprints, directly from crime scenes to remote bureaus, is currently in use by over 30 UK Police Forces.

Dr Maria Pavlou said of the system: "We provide visually powerful, instinctive and intelligent tools that are fast and accurate. As we can use the latest in touch-screen technology, a forensic examiner can match the faint traces of a muddy shoeprint to a database of over 10,000 models with a few taps of their fingers."