{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T02:02:55Z","timestamp":1760148175495,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,7]],"date-time":"2023-04-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1680825600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In photographs of evidence in forensic investigations, physical size references (e.g., rulers or stickers) are often placed next to a trace to allow us to take measurements from photos. However, this is laborious and introduces contamination risks. The FreeRef-1 system is a contactless size reference system that allows us to take forensic photographs without having to be close to the evidence, and allows photographing under large angles without losing accuracy. The FreeRef-1 system performance was assessed using technical verification tests, inter-observer checks and user tests with forensic professionals. The results show that the measurements taken with photos using the FreeRef-1 system were at least as accurate as those taken using conventional techniques. Furthermore, with the FreeRef-1 system, even photographs taken under strongly oblique angles provided accurate measurements. The results suggest that the FreeRef-1 system will facilitate photographing evidence even in hard-to-reach places, such as under tables and on walls and ceilings, while increasing the accuracy and speed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s23083790","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,7]],"date-time":"2023-04-07T04:04:16Z","timestamp":1680840256000},"page":"3790","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Contactless Size Reference in Forensic Photography\u2014Design and Verification of the Novel FreeRef-1 System"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3300-1643","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luuk A. H.","family":"Schiks","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Room F-0-200, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maura","family":"Cook","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Room F-0-200, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands"},{"name":"University of Amsterdam, Master Forensic Science, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Laurentius R.","family":"Lipman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Room F-0-200, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Arjan P.","family":"van Dijke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Room F-0-200, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands"},{"name":"Team Crime Scene Investigations at Division Biological Traces & Division Digital and Biometric Traces, Netherlands Forensic Institute, Laan van Ypenburg 6, 2490 AA The Hague, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-5114-8185","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kim","family":"Hutchinson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Room F-0-200, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Paul","family":"van den Hoven","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Team Crime Scene Investigations at Division Biological Traces & Division Digital and Biometric Traces, Netherlands Forensic Institute, Laan van Ypenburg 6, 2490 AA The Hague, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4449-9582","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Arjo J.","family":"Loeve","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Room F-0-200, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands"},{"name":"Co van Ledden-Hulsebosch Center for Forensic Science and Medicine, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Miller, M.T., and Massey, P. (2019). The Crime Scene, Academic Press. [2nd ed.]."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Baxter, E. (2015). Complete Crime Scene Investigation Handbook, CRC Press. [1st ed.].","DOI":"10.1201\/b18329"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.4103\/jfo.jfds_2_16","article-title":"Forensic photography: Prospect through the lens","volume":"10","author":"Gouse","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Forensic Dent. Sci."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Miller, L.S., and Marin, N. (2015). Police Photography, Routledge. [7th ed.].","DOI":"10.4324\/9781315722177"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Duncan, C.D. (2023). Advanced Crime Scene Photography, CRC Press.","DOI":"10.4324\/9781003292449"},{"key":"ref_6","unstructured":"Schiks, L.A.H., Cook, M., Lipman, L.R., van Dijke, A.P., Hutchinson, K., van den Hoven, P., and Loeve, A.J. (2023, February 28). FreeRef-1 Verification, Inter-Observer and User Tests 2023. Available online: http:\/\/data.4tu.nl."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"22221","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-01763-9","article-title":"Evaluation of the Apple iPhone 12 Pro LiDAR for an Application in Geosciences","volume":"11","author":"Luetzenburg","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gabara, G., and Sawicki, P. (2023). CRBeDaSet: A Benchmark Dataset for High Accuracy Close Range 3D Object Reconstruction. Remote Sens., 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/rs15041116"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2387","DOI":"10.1080\/19475705.2021.1964617","article-title":"Mobile 3D scan LiDAR: A literature review","volume":"12","author":"Chiappini","year":"2021","journal-title":"Geomat. Nat. 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Integr."}],"container-title":["Sensors"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/23\/8\/3790\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T19:11:49Z","timestamp":1760123509000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/23\/8\/3790"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,7]]},"references-count":12,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,4]]}},"alternative-id":["s23083790"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/s23083790","relation":{},"ISSN":["1424-8220"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"1424-8220"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,7]]}}}