Identification Canada, Volume 31, No. 3, September 2008

• NCJ Number: 233779
• Journal: Identification Canada Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2008 Pages: 85-124
• Author(s): Shawna Peterson; Tanya Peckmann; John Lawrence; Scott Robinson; Scott Lamont
• Date Published: September 2008
• Length: 40 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Technical); Report (Study/Research)
• Language: French; English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

This issue's three featured articles report on a preliminary study that tested the ability of the electromagnetic surveying instrument EM38B to detect clandestine graves in Nova Scotia (Canada); the use of the Adobe Photoshop's "perspective crop" tool in order to straighten images photographed on an angle; and techniques for preserving dust impression fingerprints.

Abstract

The first article describes the performance of the EM38B in detecting clandestine graves in Nova Scotia, Canada. The EM38B produces an electromagnetic pulse that is sent into the ground from a coil located in the end of the handheld instrument. If this primary electromagnetic pulse reaches any object in the subsurface that is capable of conducting electricity, the electromagnetic pulse is modified and becomes a secondary electromagnetic pulse. The secondary electromagnetic pulse is sent back to the instrument. A receiver in the other end of the instrument processes the signal. The receiver measures the difference between the primary and secondary electromagnetic pulses. The characteristics of the object in the subsurface can be determined based on the interpretation of the relationship between the primary and secondary electromagnetic pulses. When used to detect adult pigs buried on a farm in rural Nova Scotia, the results found that the EM38B was not best suited for the soil in Nova Scotia. The second article describes how Adobe Photoshop's "perspective crop" tool can be used to straighten or rectify photos taken from an angle. This is particularly helpful when friction ridge, footwear, or other physical evidence can only be viewed from an angle. The third article reports on an inexpensive, readily available method for ensuring that dust impressions on lifting tape can be preserved for fingerprint comparisons. This issue also reports on recent activities of the Canadian Identification Society.