A range of traditional analogue techniques, such as is obtained from the employment of equipment that generates freeze frames and slow motion from the imagery exhibit, creates more easily definable results which may then be analysed in greater detail. A range of new technological techniques, including digitisation, enlargement, enhancement and titling provides the facility to optimise an image and /or range of images and is able to produce a clarity of imagery exhibit which is often not able to be viewed via alternative methods. Whilst working in the digitised video format, we frequently generate video at up to approximately thirty frames per second, which, when coupled with techniques such as interpolation, often reveal detail that could otherwise be overlooked and /or misconstrued. These techniques therefore apply strongly to security CCTV video, RTA CCTV video, digital, world wide web and internet imagery. A range of illustrative hard copy prints, in full colour where applicable, is frequently generated and form an evidential section of the Report. Our techniques normally allow for multiple copies of the relevant hard copy prints to be made available including for the ease of distribution to Jury members and Court officials, if required.
SPECIALIST AREA OF OPERATION:
Facial Mapping and face comparison. Imagery Analysis including analysis of security CCTV video, RTA CCTV video, still imagery and audio. ABH, GBH and Section 18. Chronology, Comparative Analysis and Photogrammetry. Crime scene video surveillance. Expert witness Report preparation and presentation. Court attendance is normally available by prior arrangement.
Our expertise includes:-
1] Chronology: "the provision of a Report covering the evolution of an incident along a predetermined time line"
2] Comparative Analysis: "the provision of a Report covering the comparison of a specific object or person which/who appears in one set of images with a specific object or person which/who appears in another set of images and considering the likelihood or otherwise of the object or person being the same"
3] Photogrammetry: "the determining of dimensional data from imagery as accurately as possible which is then able to be compared with actual physical dimensions obtained from on site measurement"
Facial mapping Huge amounts of video data (including CCTV) are captured every day. The Analysis Bureau Imagery employs advanced video facilities that can assist to dramatically improve the quality of recorded video imagery, from which salient still images may be produced for further, more detailed analysis. We are able to advise with respect to the quality of CCTV evidence, particularly in the ability to provide identification evidence. We are able to assess the suitability of still and video images for facial mapping, clothing and body comparison. Video forensics More and more immense amounts of video data is being captured around the world each day. This video data is growing exponentially in importance as evidence. Video forensics services such as those provided by The Analysis Bureau Imagery are core to the expert analysis and interpretation of this imagery. Video forensics services include: * Still image and video enhancement * Enhanced quality still prints from video * Video editing [where permissible] * Enhancement of time-lapse CCTV footage * Assessment of faulty or tampered with still images or video recordings * De-multiplexing of CCTV * Highlighting of subjects or objects * Expert opinion on video content * Consultation with respect to any evidential benefit of imagery evidence * Application of subtitles * Vehicle speed estimations * Consideration of tampered with or edited video tapes * Digital format conversion CCTV Imagery The ability to catch criminals from CCTV footage on the way - By Daily Mail Reporter Merseyside police Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe Merseyside police Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe: His force is piloting 'facial mapping' schemes Police are within months of setting up the country's first system that recognises suspected criminals and terrorists from CCTV footage. The 'facial mapping' scheme will enable officers to identify wanted criminals within minutes of being caught on tape. It will compare photos from a digital mugshot database with film and stills from a crime scene and come up with around ten of the closest matches. To build up its mugshot database, Merseyside Police – which is running the pilot scheme along with Lancashire Police and West Yorkshire Police – is taking digital photographs of 70,000 suspects arrested in Liverpool every year. These include those accused of minor crimes such as motoring offences and the images will be retained even if they are not charged with any offence. The chief constable of Merseyside Police, Bernard Hogan-Howe, told the magazine New Statesman: 'In future we could scan images of shoplifters and motorists who drive off from petrol stations without paying. 'Another example would be someone who is photographed committing an assault outside a nightclub.' He said the system could be up and running 'later this year'. © By Daily Mail Reporter For further details, please see: METHODOLOGY and / or CONTACT US ************* Facial mapping, body mapping and the duties of an expert witness Humans are variable in their body size, shape and function. These variances are sometimes captured on CCTV. For two decades or so, the popularity of closed circuit television systems has increased and has been employed to survey a wide variety of buildings and establishments. Sometimes, criminals leave evidence in the form of images at the crime scene, recorded on a film, on tape or more recently in digital format on hard drive or disk. Criminals very quickly became aware of this CCTV presence and used an array of methods to thwart identification. Most commonly they covered their faces in an attempt to avoid images of them being captured and used in part of the process to convict them. Police and other crime investigators increased their efforts to obtain good quality images of faces of these criminals from CCTV images. Some criminals took more radical action; upon entering a building, for example, they covered their faces with a stocking or mask, and, after having spray-painted over CCTV camera lenses, conducted a robbery. People are identified by their faces predominantly because the face is an anatomical region not covered by clothing and is furthermore, crucially, used throughout the course of each day as a major factor in communications between individuals. Humans use faces to recognise and to recall. Faces are sometimes cosmetically modified including by the use of 'make up', the growing of facial hair and the wearing of spectacles. With respect to facial images captured on CCTV, it is normal to discount such 'transient' items so as to not be influenced by them in any way. From the time of arrest throughout investigations, it has been known for criminals, in an attempt to avoid conviction, to modify their appearance by the growing of a beard or the shaving of head hair, for example. Unfortunately, many current CCTV systems still capture images of faces, for example, from photographs taken at various, non uniform angles and in poor lighting conditions. This leaves a wide margin for the judgement of an expert. Such judgement, despite all of the facilities currently available to image analysis experts, remains, to a good degree, subjective. The term “mapping” is used by some experts to provide an indication of the systematic, objective approach to identification from images. It is interesting to note that, frequently, images of “known” persons are of a higher quality than those captured via security CCTV, and thus images of “known” persons may contain greater detail than that contained on images with which they are being compared. Unfortunately, this factor often reduces the potential benefits of CCTV recordings. Optical distortion produced by the image recording equipment and the different [non standardised] angles at which images of bodies or faces are captured also adds to difficulties in expert assessments of images. Some individuals have very average, common anatomical features, which render them similar to many other individuals, while some other people have unique or rare anatomical variants [a visible mole for instance], or specific malformations [such as a visible scar] which may make them unique. During tests and procedures, an experienced image analysis expert should first try to identify any 'distinctive difference' between faces being compared. Should a 'distinctive difference' be reliably identified, a suspect might be able to be eliminated from further investigations. However, should no such 'distinctive difference' reveal itself, an expert should proceed to search for any 'distinctive similarity' between the faces being compared. Frequently, 'mug shots' only of suspects are taken, which are subsequently handed to the image analysis expert for comparison purposes. These 'mug shots' are usually from a rather limited range of angles, levels and lighting types. In addition, no full body picture is available of the suspect, or only full body pictures taken of the suspect many years before the date of the crime are available. Body mass and general appearance may differ after several years have passed [hair growth or loss, for example]. There are cases in which criminals grow facial hair or alter it, being conscious that this limits an expert’s ability to perform identification. Therefore, the traditional 'mug shot' taken of a suspect in the custody suite is frequently less than ideal with respect to person identification procedures. Part of the role of an expert witness is not only to describe facts but also to provide an opinion which the court of law might accept as evidence. For further details, please see: METHODOLOGY and / or CONTACT US