•  
  •  
 

Prior Publisher

The Association of Digital Forensics, Security and Law (ADFSL)

Abstract

Visualisation is becoming increasingly important for understanding information, such as investigative data (for example: computing, medical and crime scene evidence) and analysis (for example: network capability assessment, data file reconstruction and planning scenarios). Investigative data visualisation is used to reconstruct a scene or item and is used to assist the viewer (who may well be a member of the general public with little or no understanding of the subject matter) to understand what is being presented. Analysis visualisations, on the other hand, are usually developed to review data, information and assess competing scenario hypotheses for those who usually have an understanding of the subject matter. Visualisation represents information that has been digitally recorded (for example: pictures, video and sound), hand written and/or spoken data, to show what may have, could have, did happen or is believed to have happened. That is why visualising data is an important development in the analysis and investigation realms, as visualisation explores the accuracies, inconsistencies and discrepancies of the collected data and information. This paper introduces some of the various graphical techniques and technology used to display digital information in a courtroom. The advantages and disadvantages involved in the implementation of this technology are also Visualisation is becoming increasingly important for understanding information, such as investigative data (for example: computing, medical and crime scene evidence) and analysis (for example: network capability assessment, data file reconstruction and planning scenarios). Investigative data visualisation is used to reconstruct a scene or item and is used to assist the viewer (who may well be a member of the general public with little or no understanding of the subject matter) to understand what is being presented. Analysis visualisations, on the other hand, are usually developed to review data, information and assess competing scenario hypotheses for those who usually have an understanding of the subject matter. Visualisation represents information that has been digitally recorded (for example: pictures, video and sound), hand written and/or spoken data, to show what may have, could have, did happen or is believed to have happened. That is why visualising data is an important development in the analysis and investigation realms, as visualisation explores the accuracies, inconsistencies and discrepancies of the collected data and information. This paper introduces some of the various graphical techniques and technology used to display digital information in a courtroom. The advantages and disadvantages involved in the implementation of this technology are also

References

Bailenson, J. N., Blaschovich, J., Beall, A. C., & Noveck, B. (2006). Courtroom applications of virtual environments, immersive virtual environments and collaborative virtual environments. Law and Policy, 28(2): 249-270.

Cleveland, W. S., & McGill, R (1984). Graphical perception: Theory, experimentation, and application to the development of graphical methods. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 79(387): 531-554.

Dunn,J. A. (2001). Virtual reality evidence. The Electric Law Library. Retrieved from http://www.lectlaw.com/files/lit04.htm, on 10 December 2012.

Fielder, B. (2003). Are your eyes deceiving you? The evidential crisis regarding the admissibility of computer-generated evidence. New York Law School Law Review, 48(1&2): 295–321.

Fowle, K., & Schofield, D. (2011). Visualising forensic data: Investigation to court. The 9th Australian Digital Forensics Conference, 30 November–2 December 2011, Perth, Western Australia.

Galves, F. (2000). Where the not so wild things are: Computers in the courtroom, the federal rules of evidence, and the need for institutional reform and more judicial acceptance. Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, 13(2): 161–302.

Girvan, R. (2001). An overview of the use of computer-generated displays in the courtroom. Web Journal of Current Legal Issues, 7(1).

Lederer, F. I., & Solomon, S. H. (1997). Courtroom technology–An introduction to the onrushing future. Proceedings of Fifth National Court Technology Conference (CTC5), National Centre for State Courts. Session no. 103: Evidence Technology in the High-Tech Courtroom.

Lefcourt, G. (2003). The use of technology in the courtroom. New York, NY: New York Council of Defense Lawyers.

Lowman, S. (2010). Web history visualisation for forensic investigations. MSc Forensic Informatics Dissertation, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.

Lowman, S., & Ferguson, I. (2012). Web history visualisation for forensic investigators. Forensic Focus. Retrieved from http://articles.forensicfocus.com/2011/07/26/web-historyvisualisation-forforensic-investigations/ on 10 December 2012.

Marcella, A. J., & Menendez, D. (2007). Cyber Forensics: A Field Manual for Collecting, Examining and Preserving Evidence of Computer Crimes. CRC Press.

March, J., Schofield, D., Evison, M., & Woodford, N. (2004). Threedimensional computer visualisation of forensic pathology data. American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 25(1): 60-70.

Marcotte, P. (1989). Animated evidence: Delta 191 crash re-created through computer simulations at trial. Journal of the American Bar Association, 75: 52- 57.

Marty, R. (2008). Applied security visualization. Network World. Retrieved from http://www.networkworld.com/subnets/cisco/030309-ch1-appliedsecurity-visualization.html?page=1 on 10 December 2012.

Noond, J., & Schofield, D. (2002). Visualising the scene–Interactive evidence: Litigation graphics and virtual reality. Proceedings of Expert Evidence: Causation, Proof and Presentation Conference, Prato, Italy.

O’Flaherty, D. (1996), Computer-generated displays in the courtroom: For better or worse? Web Journal of Current Legal Issues, 2(4).

Ramasubramanian, L., & McNeil, S. (2004). Visualizing urban futures: A review and critical assessment of visualization applications for transportation planning and research. Proceedings of the City Futures Conference, 9-10 July, 2004, Chicago, IL.

Rogowitz, B., & Treinish, L. (1996). How not to lie with vizualization. Computers in Physics, 10: 268-274.

Schofield, D. (2006). The future of evidence: New applications of digital technologies, forensic science: classroom to courtroom. Proceedings of 18th International Symposium of the Forensic Sciences, 2-8 April 2006, Fremantle, Western Australia, 2006.

Schofield, D. (2007). Animating and interacting with graphical evidence: Bringing courtrooms to life with virtual reconstructions. Proceedings of IEEE Conference on Computer Graphics, Imaging and Visualisation, 14-16 August 2007, Bangkok, Thailand.

Schofield, D. (2011). Playing with evidence: Using video games in the courtroom. Journal of Entertainment Computing, Special Issue: Video Games as Research Instruments, 2(1): 47-58.

Schofield, D., Noond, J., Goodwin, L., & Fowle, K. (2001). Accident scenarios: Using computer generated forensic animations. Journal of Occupational Health and Safety (Aus NZ), 17(2): 163-173.

Schofield, D., & Mason, S. (ed). (2012). Using Graphical Technology to Present Evidence, in Electronic Evidence, 2 nd ed. London, UK: Lexis-Nexis.

Shannon, C. E. (1948). A mathematical theory of communication. Bell System Technical Journal, 27: 379-423.

Speisel, C. O., & Feigenson, N. (2009). Law on display: The digital transformation of legal persuasion and judgement. New York, NY: New York University Press.

Teerlink, S., & Erbacher, R. F. (2006). Foundations for visual forensic analysis.7 th IEEE Workshop on Information Assurance, 21-23 June 2006, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY.

Tufte, E. (1997). Visual explanations: Images and quantities, evidence and narrative. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press.

Wheate, R. (2006). Australian juries and scientific evidence. Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences, 38(2): 75.

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.