Most are familiar with law enforcement’s “Mug Shot”. Hopefully, you’re familiar with it because you watch TV or know someone who works in that field versus having had one taken of yourself after being arrested. The mug shot is probably the most well known use of photography in the law enforcement field. Another well known area where law enforcement has used photography is in the preservation of evidence. When there is a crime, law enforcement officials will send a photographer to take pictures of the scene to preserve the details in a pictorial format. Since digital photography became affordable, it has been combined with computer technology to enhance the two previously described events in law enforcement, but has also added other interesting abilities and tools for finding and capturing the bad guys.
The “mug shot”, or “booking photograph”, was invented by Allan Pinkerton in the 19th century. It is used to keep record of arrested individuals. It could then be used by other law enforcement and victims to identify them. They used to be stored in binders and files. But now, using digital photography and computers, the images are stored in a database along with all the detailed information about the individual. This information is now available 24/7, instead of only when the records office was open. The photographs and records are now being shared much more easily between cities, states and agencies.
Digital photography has had a huge impact on evidence preservation. The cost savings alone is enormous. Multiple photos can be taken at no extra cost. There is no film to buy or processing to pay for. Digital photography also makes the process much faster. No one has to wait any longer for the film to be processed and printed. The photos can be automatically uploaded to a computer where they can be immediately available anyone who has access.
Higher quality, less expensive surveillance cameras are available that can be used to monitor public areas recording crimes when they happen. These photos or videos are digital stored on computers and can later be used in court. San Antonio has recently installed several of these cameras in downtown areas that are known for crime.
Computers and digital imaging can also help catch the criminal. Databases of known criminals are maintained and cameras along with computer software capable of comparing images of people can help identify these criminals. These facial recognition systems can scan thousands of people in crowded places and notify police when one of them is identified.
Digital image quality and enhancing technology has allowed law enforcement to do amazing things to help identify perpetrators. By using imaging techniques with computer software, images can be greatly enhanced to allow improved recognition. Removing unimportant details from an image, reconstructing incomplete or broken images, and improving clarity of details can all make the job of the detectives much easier and the life of the criminal much worse.
Although digital photography in law enforcement is becoming more and more accepted, it has not come without controversy. On of the tests that the courts use to determine admissibility of evidence is that the evidence has not been altered. Digital photos are easily altered with computer software. It is important that agencies develop procedures and processes to preserve the accuracy and security of the images or the courts will not allow them to be used as evidence.
So what does the future hold for law enforcement and the use of digital photography? More ways to identify criminals amongst us is likely get a lot of attention. We should look for things such as satellites and software that can identify people on the ground by the shape and movement of their shadows. The use of digital imaging and biometrics to identify people will continue to grow to new heights. And of course, we should probably look forward to all the controversy that will surround it regarding privacy issues.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Digital Medicine
Imagine going to the hospital emergency room knowing that something serious inside you is wrong, but you do not know what. When you get to the hospital, they have no way to look inside to find the problem. X-ray doesn’t exist, CAT-scan doesn’t exist, MRI doesn’t exist. The only thing they can do is surgery. That will likely mean an expensive overnight stay, even if they don’t find anything serious.
Digital imaging to the rescue. The ability for medical personnel to take pictures of what is inside you without cutting you open is a medical marvel. Since the X-ray came into existence diagnosis and treatment has improved a hundredfold. Even more incredible are the advances made since digital imaging and computer technology have been brought together in medicine.
X-rays were accidentally discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in Germany while he was experimenting with his cathode ray generator. One week after he discovered that the rays could penetrate different materials, he took the first X-ray of a human body, his wife’s hand. X-rays are two-dimensional images of the body.
In 1972 the CAT-scan (computerized axial tomography scanner) was developed. It took multiple x-ray images and put them together to produce a 3-dimensional image of the tissues and organs in the body. About that same time, the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) was developed. This also produced 3-dimensional images, but didn’t use harmful radioactivity to produce the images.
With digital images from these technologies, the medical industry has been able to produce incredible images of the body. Diagnosis and treatment has been improved by allowing physicians to better understand the depth and size of tumors, foreign objects, or other problems that plague their patients. Surgery is more precise as the surgeon is able to better locate problems.
Digital imaging is also being combined with ultrasonic technologies to produce instant, non-tissue damaging, moving images. The most well-known use for this technology is in the field of obstetrics when gathering information about the unborn fetus. Here, the physician can determine the size and position of the baby with no incisions.
Image technology has also allowed the use of real-time images from inside the body that allows physicians to not only diagnose, but perform minimally invasive surgery. Instead of making large incisions so the surgeon can peek inside the body, very small openings are made that allow a small robotic camera to be inserted. The images are immediately displayed on a computer. Surgical procedures are performed by inserting instruments through other small incisions and then manipulated by the surgeon. Because such small incisions are made, patients often heal much quicker and costs are greatly reduced.
Remote diagnosis saves thousands of dollars. People in the remote islands of the Pacific have a high incidence of rheumatic fever which occasionally results in valvular heart disease. Because of their location, diagnosis is difficult. They would normally have to travel to distant islands for diagnosis and treatment. However, with remote digital echocardiography, images of the patients heart and valves are transmitted to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio for evaluation. This saves patients a great deal of money and time.
What does the future hold? As imaging rapidly develops, the millions and millions of images being gathered need to be managed. Those images need to be kept organized and made available as quickly and easily as possible. Systems known as Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) are being developed to do just that. Physicians and key medical personnel are able to view and share records and images from computers anywhere in the world quickly and easily.
Remote robotic surgery is a real possibility. Imagine a surgeon performing surgery on a hologram while a robot, thousands of miles away, follows his guidance and operates on a real human.
Digital imaging to the rescue. The ability for medical personnel to take pictures of what is inside you without cutting you open is a medical marvel. Since the X-ray came into existence diagnosis and treatment has improved a hundredfold. Even more incredible are the advances made since digital imaging and computer technology have been brought together in medicine.
X-rays were accidentally discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in Germany while he was experimenting with his cathode ray generator. One week after he discovered that the rays could penetrate different materials, he took the first X-ray of a human body, his wife’s hand. X-rays are two-dimensional images of the body.
In 1972 the CAT-scan (computerized axial tomography scanner) was developed. It took multiple x-ray images and put them together to produce a 3-dimensional image of the tissues and organs in the body. About that same time, the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) was developed. This also produced 3-dimensional images, but didn’t use harmful radioactivity to produce the images.
With digital images from these technologies, the medical industry has been able to produce incredible images of the body. Diagnosis and treatment has been improved by allowing physicians to better understand the depth and size of tumors, foreign objects, or other problems that plague their patients. Surgery is more precise as the surgeon is able to better locate problems.
Digital imaging is also being combined with ultrasonic technologies to produce instant, non-tissue damaging, moving images. The most well-known use for this technology is in the field of obstetrics when gathering information about the unborn fetus. Here, the physician can determine the size and position of the baby with no incisions.
Image technology has also allowed the use of real-time images from inside the body that allows physicians to not only diagnose, but perform minimally invasive surgery. Instead of making large incisions so the surgeon can peek inside the body, very small openings are made that allow a small robotic camera to be inserted. The images are immediately displayed on a computer. Surgical procedures are performed by inserting instruments through other small incisions and then manipulated by the surgeon. Because such small incisions are made, patients often heal much quicker and costs are greatly reduced.
Remote diagnosis saves thousands of dollars. People in the remote islands of the Pacific have a high incidence of rheumatic fever which occasionally results in valvular heart disease. Because of their location, diagnosis is difficult. They would normally have to travel to distant islands for diagnosis and treatment. However, with remote digital echocardiography, images of the patients heart and valves are transmitted to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio for evaluation. This saves patients a great deal of money and time.
What does the future hold? As imaging rapidly develops, the millions and millions of images being gathered need to be managed. Those images need to be kept organized and made available as quickly and easily as possible. Systems known as Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) are being developed to do just that. Physicians and key medical personnel are able to view and share records and images from computers anywhere in the world quickly and easily.
Remote robotic surgery is a real possibility. Imagine a surgeon performing surgery on a hologram while a robot, thousands of miles away, follows his guidance and operates on a real human.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
NASA goes digital
The space race was on. It was the 1950’s and the United States and Russia were neck-and-neck in a race to see who would get into space first. The Russians won with the first satellite ‘Sputnik’ in October of 1957. Both the Russians and the United States understood what might be possible with a camera aboard a satellite. Having an eye in the sky to watch the enemy would give huge superiority to the owner of such technology. NASA also needed to map the surface of the moon for the planned moon landings. There was one big problem. With existing photographic technology, the film from the camera would have to be brought back to earth for development, or it would have to be developed on board the space craft and then the final photographs would have to be brought back. Neither option was acceptable. NASA knew they needed a new technology. In the 1960’s they went digital. This technological advancement gave them the ability to electronically send pictures of the moon’s surface back to earth and record them.
Since the first digital pictures of the moon were beamed back to earth, NASA has been on the digital bandwagon in a major way. Digital imagery of both earth and space have astounded mankind ever since.
Spy satellites have been in use since the early 1960’s. They keep an eye on hot spots around the globe allowing analysts to locate enemy movements from the safety of their homeland. During the early days of this technology, there were many in opposition to the idea. This made the implementation of the technology somewhat difficult but it didn’t stop it. Today, satellite imagery and computer technology are being combined to provide amazing results such as identification of a person based on their shadow. With this technology, the government expects to be able to identify and track known criminals and terrorists.
Other uses of the digital satellite photography have helped us better understand our world. Declassified spy satellite photos have been compared to previous aerial photographs and have shown changes in our environment. Now, we can track environmental changes from year to year which allows us to monitor our environmental management.
Of course, most notable from NASA are the advancements in technology that allow us to peer into the skies and view distant and never before seen planets and solar systems. The Earth’s atmosphere causes many problems for astronomers. They cannot get a clear unobstructed view of space. With NASA’s satellite technology, telescope satellites have been launched into orbit where they can peek into space from beyond the Earth’s atmosphere and digitally transmit pictures back to earth instantly. Arguably, the most well known of these is the Hubble telescope. Congress approved the Hubble telescope plans in 1977, but the satellite didn’t launch into orbit until 1990. But immediately there were problems. The giant mirror in the telescope was not made correctly and all the pictures it sent back were blurry. It was finally repaired during a space shuttle mission in 1993. The photographs Hubble has sent back since then have been stunning. In May of this year, NASA replaced the old camera in Hubble with a new ‘Wide Field Camera 3’ (WFC3). This new camera is expected to be more powerful and be able to probe deeper into the universe. It is a 900 pound unit about the size of a baby grand piano. Much more technical information about this camera can be obtained here.
The successor to the Hubble is the Webb Telescope. This new telescope will have more advanced cameras and will be placed into orbit far beyond the moon, allowing it an unobstructed view of the heavens. This satellite is not set to be placed into orbit until sometime in 2013.
Since the first digital pictures of the moon were beamed back to earth, NASA has been on the digital bandwagon in a major way. Digital imagery of both earth and space have astounded mankind ever since.
Spy satellites have been in use since the early 1960’s. They keep an eye on hot spots around the globe allowing analysts to locate enemy movements from the safety of their homeland. During the early days of this technology, there were many in opposition to the idea. This made the implementation of the technology somewhat difficult but it didn’t stop it. Today, satellite imagery and computer technology are being combined to provide amazing results such as identification of a person based on their shadow. With this technology, the government expects to be able to identify and track known criminals and terrorists.
Other uses of the digital satellite photography have helped us better understand our world. Declassified spy satellite photos have been compared to previous aerial photographs and have shown changes in our environment. Now, we can track environmental changes from year to year which allows us to monitor our environmental management.
Of course, most notable from NASA are the advancements in technology that allow us to peer into the skies and view distant and never before seen planets and solar systems. The Earth’s atmosphere causes many problems for astronomers. They cannot get a clear unobstructed view of space. With NASA’s satellite technology, telescope satellites have been launched into orbit where they can peek into space from beyond the Earth’s atmosphere and digitally transmit pictures back to earth instantly. Arguably, the most well known of these is the Hubble telescope. Congress approved the Hubble telescope plans in 1977, but the satellite didn’t launch into orbit until 1990. But immediately there were problems. The giant mirror in the telescope was not made correctly and all the pictures it sent back were blurry. It was finally repaired during a space shuttle mission in 1993. The photographs Hubble has sent back since then have been stunning. In May of this year, NASA replaced the old camera in Hubble with a new ‘Wide Field Camera 3’ (WFC3). This new camera is expected to be more powerful and be able to probe deeper into the universe. It is a 900 pound unit about the size of a baby grand piano. Much more technical information about this camera can be obtained here.
The successor to the Hubble is the Webb Telescope. This new telescope will have more advanced cameras and will be placed into orbit far beyond the moon, allowing it an unobstructed view of the heavens. This satellite is not set to be placed into orbit until sometime in 2013.
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