Inspiration
During witness assessment in crime investigation, errors occur not only in the process of crime scene reconstruction, but also in the information exchange between investigators and eyewitnesses. We researched into the challenges and limitations of existing witness assessment methodologies. Field interviews requires the physical presence of witnesses and may set off PTSD reactions. For interviews taken place in the police station, asking witnesses to recall their memory based on crime scene photos requires more cognitive load and may cause miscommunication, leading to a less efficient investigation. All the above factors would negatively impact the criminal justice system.
What it does
Crime Reality is a VR witness assessment tool designed for efficient witness-investigator communication. Police investigators can add criminal evidence to the 3D world on a 2D bird-view UI according to witnesses’ description. Witnesses are able to adjust the position of the legends in VR, and the marks on the 2D interface will be updated accordingly in real time. It enables a real-time, bidirectional communication between 2D interfaces and 3D worlds. It reduces witnesses’ cognitive load by avoiding the activity of recalling memories based on 2D photographs. By preventing witnesses from being present on crime scenes, it minimizes the possibility of triggering PTSD reactions. Witnesses can quit the virtual space anytime if needed.
How we built it
Experience Design
We designed a detailed user flow based on our research.
A detailed user journey of our VR witness investigation is mapped as is shown below.
We designed the apartment in Unity and rendered a bird-view floorplan for police investigators to mark down legends.
Technology Implementation
Crime Reality consists of two parts: a 2D bird-view interactable pad and a 3D virtual environment based on VR. We connect the two clients with a server developed with flask. The backend server stores and processes data as media. The 2D frontend that we can draw on is implemented in reactjs. We implemented the VR 3D virtual scene in unity, where we explore the potential of HTC Vive Front 3, and implemented VR object interaction.
Challenges we ran into
- Real-time data synchronization between the 2D bird-view interactable pad and a 3D virtual environment.
- Robust object manipulation in a 3D VR environment.
- Learning how to develop on a novel VR headset (Vive Focus 3).
- Designing and building the scene that looks like a real crime scene.
- Designing a novel workflow between the police and the witness in VR.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are proud of the effective real-time communication between the 2D interface and the 3D world we built.
What we learned
We did not realize how pressing it is to improve the current witness assessment work flow in crime investigation until getting our hands on this project. We empathize with the potential damage that field interviews may bring to witnesses. We also become more aware of the limitations of exiting assessment methodologies.
What's next for Crime Reality
We wish our concept and prototype can bring more awareness and trigger in-depth discussion to all agents involved in crime investigation. Our idea echos with the 16th sustainable goal of UN, and wish it can contribute to a more inclusive witness assessment method and improve future criminal justification.
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