Virtual Reality as a Collaborative Tool for Digitalised Crime Scene Examination

Crime scene investigation is a multidisciplinary response that involves the identification and securing of physical and trace material that may have evidential value. In this context, accurate documentation of the scene(s) is fundamental, when subsequent analysis is required for comparison and evaluative purposes. This technical note reports a virtual reality framework developed in Unity 3D targeting a low-cost Virtual Reality (VR) head-mounted display (HMD), which enables the exploration of virtualized crime scenes and supports collaborative investigation through an online shared repository of 3D reconstructions. The system is agnostic at the source, implying that several types of 3D imaging sensors can provide recording of the scenes. Data are presented via an immersive virtual-roaming VR application to enhance spatial perception and telepresence. The virtualized environment is accompanied by original photographs and reference information, enabling validation and contextualization of the three-dimensional spatial data. The developed framework was employed in the context of a training operation spread between Scotland, UK and Denmark, demonstrating the feasibility of the deployment of the platform independent of location at the early stages of a forensic investigation.