Panoramic photography and virtual tour construction are not just great for displaying breathtaking views of landscapes; they can also help solve crimes. Techniques used by hobbyists and photographers are now being utilized by law enforcement officers to help create interactive documentations of crime scenes and clearer logistical briefing models.
As with all photography techniques, the application of panoramic equipment and software is only limited by the skill and imagination of the user. Law enforcement officers have always relied on the abilities of forensic photographers to document victims, evidence and locations in a highly detailed manner for official reference. The use of multiple-image composites for creating wider views of scenes is essential to accurately portraying locations in true detail. That is why many forensic photographers and law enforcement officers use a wide variety of pano heads and virtual tour construction software.
The ability to preserve a perfect 360-degree view of any scene or location is tremendously valuable for law enforcement officers. Due to its one-button simplicity, the Girocam 360 enables first responders to capture complete views of a scene. This technology benefits law enforcement officers by ensuring that the photos remain admissible in court due to the camera’s internal stitching function, which helps to create panoramic views without the liability of requiring a technician to manipulate or alter the original photos as was previously the case.
Creating simple one-button 360-degree panoramic photographs of crime scenes is not the only thing the world of panoramic photography has to offer law enforcement officials. With virtual tour construction software, interactive views and models of locations can be created for tactical strategizing and group briefings. Virtual tour software, such as Autopano Pro, enables in-house photographers to construct easy to use visual models that can be navigated and annotated for higher mission clarity through clearer demonstrations. This kind of real-world referencing ensures that everyone involved is in complete alignment for logistics and safety purposes.
Panoramic products, such as motorized pano heads, are also being used in surveillance operations to increase the amount of area that is being systematically documented. By utilizing a motorized pano head, law enforcement officials are able to precisely repeat panoramic photos over and over for accurate time-lapsed comparisons. The precision control of a motorized pano head makes it easy to spot subtle changes in the details of uniformly repeated photos captured over the entirety of a surveillance operation.
As with all panoramic photography and virtual tour construction, the finished projects are only limited by imagination and tools. For law enforcement offices that have just been introduced to the idea of expanded views, it may be better to sample these product’s potential by using a static pano head, like the Pano Maxx, and a basic pano stitching program, like Autopano. Turning those panoramics into virtual 360-degree tours is a snap with the help of software like Panotour.
There are even bundled packages available on the net that include the products any police or forensic photographer needs to get started in panoramic photography and virtual tour construction. Once a has seen a sampling of what a huge difference these techniques can make in crime scene documentation and logistics briefings, it will be easy to progress to an advanced level of construction and capture by investing in professional options like Girocam 360 or the Professional Virtual Tour Kit.
Panoramic Essentials 