Evidence, Expertise, and Automation in Forensic Reconstruction

The UCLA Department of Information Studies invites faculty, staff, and students to its Information Studies Colloquia.

Presented, Researched, and Written by Dr. Stacy Wood, UCLA

3D laser scanning technology has been used in forensic analysis and virtual crime scene reconstruction for at least a decade. While rendering a reconstruction involves a combination of automated tools and expert intervention, the reconstruction collapses and stands in for myriad forms of forensic science, many of which do not represent robust scientific consensus despite their relative ubiquity across the criminal legal system. The models produced shift both the theoretical and practical forms of expertise within the courtroom and present challenges for the long-term ability to revisit evidence. This talk uses this technology as a jumping off point to think about complex media objects that simultaneously function as legal evidence, media spectacle and public record.