apps
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radarmoose
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Tue Nov 21, 2006 5:22 pm
- Location: Wyoming, MI
apps
I'm personally very new to the iPhone world. I know there are many cool things it can do and many apps for fee or free. I'm wondering what useful forensic apps (or apps that are useful for forensics) anyone has run across?
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Whytey
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon May 18, 2015 9:34 pm
Re: apps
I use my iPhone a fair bit with work and yes, there are a few apps that are out there that can definitely assist in scene examination. Now I'm an Aussie so our app store is a bit different from the U.S (and more expensive mind you) but hopefully this can provide a quick start:
- Apple Maps or Google Maps: Both apps work great in working out distances between say a house and where a knife was located. You can use the search field and then get directions and it gives you an approximate distance between the two plus provides a visual depiction of the route.
- Compass App: Handy way of figuring out which way is north for your sketch plan and also providing a GPS reference if you're out in the bush.
- iBooks: I personally have a few forensic texts (pdf's) or my own cheat sequence/chemical guides for when I'm out at a scene and I encounter a difficult surface and need a quick reminder. I also have a court testimony Q&A of everything fingerprints so I can freshen up on the literature whilst waiting outside the court room.
- MagicPlan CSI: Pretty cool crime scene sketching program that actually uses your camera on your phone to sketch out the overall layout of your room. It's a little bit fiddly and takes a little time but if you love your tech and are willing to be patient with it, and can really be a handy app to have in your arsenal.
- Camera App: Now this one is the standard camera app that comes pre-installed on your phone and I by no means suggest that it's legit but I have heard of it being used for work in certain cases. If you find yourself out at the scene and there's that perfect print in blood on say the murder weapon and you want to run the print through an AFIS system straight away but you're 4 hours away from your office. Take a quick snap of your print (up close and with a scale of course) and email it to a colleague or supervisor at work for them to run it on your behalf. You're always going to document and photograph the print at the scene of course so getting that pivotal print to the office promptly can definitely give the investigation a head start!
These are just some of the apps that I have found through my travels over the last 7 years of crime scene work down under. Again, you may find some more interesting and useful apps on your own country's app store. Plus using your phone for work purposes can often lead to some tax deductions if you're a bit savvy in that department or your accountant is.
Let me know if you come across anything else worth mentioning.
Cheers,
Whytey
- Apple Maps or Google Maps: Both apps work great in working out distances between say a house and where a knife was located. You can use the search field and then get directions and it gives you an approximate distance between the two plus provides a visual depiction of the route.
- Compass App: Handy way of figuring out which way is north for your sketch plan and also providing a GPS reference if you're out in the bush.
- iBooks: I personally have a few forensic texts (pdf's) or my own cheat sequence/chemical guides for when I'm out at a scene and I encounter a difficult surface and need a quick reminder. I also have a court testimony Q&A of everything fingerprints so I can freshen up on the literature whilst waiting outside the court room.
- MagicPlan CSI: Pretty cool crime scene sketching program that actually uses your camera on your phone to sketch out the overall layout of your room. It's a little bit fiddly and takes a little time but if you love your tech and are willing to be patient with it, and can really be a handy app to have in your arsenal.
- Camera App: Now this one is the standard camera app that comes pre-installed on your phone and I by no means suggest that it's legit but I have heard of it being used for work in certain cases. If you find yourself out at the scene and there's that perfect print in blood on say the murder weapon and you want to run the print through an AFIS system straight away but you're 4 hours away from your office. Take a quick snap of your print (up close and with a scale of course) and email it to a colleague or supervisor at work for them to run it on your behalf. You're always going to document and photograph the print at the scene of course so getting that pivotal print to the office promptly can definitely give the investigation a head start!
These are just some of the apps that I have found through my travels over the last 7 years of crime scene work down under. Again, you may find some more interesting and useful apps on your own country's app store. Plus using your phone for work purposes can often lead to some tax deductions if you're a bit savvy in that department or your accountant is.
Let me know if you come across anything else worth mentioning.
Cheers,
Whytey