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LATENT INTEROPERABILITY TRANSMISSION SPECIFICATION AND EXTENDED FEATURE SET USER GUIDANCE FOR AFIS INTEROPERABILITY

ACEWARE LATENT FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION RESEARCH AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT.

INTER-LABORATORY VARIATION IN INTERPRETATION OF DNA MIXTURES

BLACK BOX EVALUATION OF BLOODSTAIN PATTERN ANALYSIS CONCLUSIONS

THIS PROPOSAL INVOLVES CONDUCTING A COMPREHENSIVE, MULTIPHASIC STUDY ON THE ACCURACY, EFFICACY, AND REPRODUCIBILITY OF MUZZLE-TO-TARGET DISTANCE (MTD) DETERMINATIONS USING GUNSHOT RESIDUE (GSR) BY PRACTICING FORENSIC EXAMINERS. THE STUDY IS DESIGNED TO ASSIST IN THE STANDARDIZATION OF GSR DISTANCE DETERMINATION METHODOLOGY, BY WORKING WITH THE GSR COMMUNITY TO COLLECT EMPIRICAL DATA TO ASSIST IN STANDARDIZATION. THE STUDY WILL COLLECT A LARGE DATASET OF REFERENCE SAMPLES THAT WILL BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE AFTER THE STUDY. THE PROPOSED WORK WILL BE CONDUCTED BY NOBLIS, A NONPROFIT RESEARCH COMPANY, WITH EXTENSIVE COLLABORATION FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY (NIST). THE PROPOSED STUDY INCLUDES FIVE PHASES. PHASE 1, GSR MTD WORKING GROUPIN PHASE 1 THE STUDY TEAM WILL CREATE THE GSR MTD WORKING GROUP (GSR-WG), WHICH WILL BE A SMALL VOLUNTEER WORKING GROUP OF GSR PRACTITIONERS AND RESEARCHERS. THE GSR-WG WILL BE CONSULTED FREQUENTLY TO ASSIST IN DETERMINING IN DETAIL THE APPROACHES USED THROUGHOUT THE STUDY. PHASE 2, GSR REFERENCE SAMPLE DATASETIN PHASE 2 THE STUDY TEAM WILL COLLECT A GSR REFERENCE SAMPLE DATASET, FOLLOWING EXISTING AND PROPOSED STANDARDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO CREATE A LARGE REFERENCE DATASET OF EXEMPLARS OF KNOWN DISTANCES COLLECTED UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS. THE DATASET WILL BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE AFTER THE STUDY. PHASE 3, BLACK BOX EVALUATION OF GSR MTD DETERMINATIONSIN PHASE 3 THE STUDY TEAM WILL CONDUCT A BLACK BOX EVALUATION OF GSR MTD DETERMINATIONS BY PRACTICING EXAMINERS. THE STUDY WILL EVALUATE THESE DETERMINATIONS IN TERMS OF ACCURACY (CORRECTNESS), EFFICACY (REPORTING DISTANCES WITH RANGES THAT ARE SPECIFIC OR NARROW ENOUGH TO BE PROBATIVE), AND REPRODUCIBILITY (INTER-EXAMINER CONSISTENCY). PHASE 4, GSR DEGRADATION STUDYIN PHASE 4 THE STUDY TEAM WILL CONDUCT A LIMITED GSR DEGRADATION STUDY ASSESSING THE DEGRADATION OF GSR SAMPLES OVER WEEKS OR MONTHS UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS. PHASE 5, REPORT OF RECOMMENDATIONSIN PHASE 5 THE STUDY TEAM WILL WORK WITH THE GSR-WG TO EVALUATE THE RESULTS OF PHASES 2-4 AND DEVELOP A REPORT OF RECOMMENDATIONS, WITH PARTICULAR FOCUS ON RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS REGARDING EXISTING AND PROPOSED STANDARDS, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES, TRAINING, AND QUALITY ASSURANCE. CA/NCF

BULLET BLACK BOX - A STUDY OF THE ACCURACY AND REPRODUCIBILITY OF PROJECTILE COMPARISONS BY FIREARMS EXAMINERS

THIS PROPOSAL INVOLVES CONDUCTING A COMPREHENSIVE, MULTIPHASIC STUDY TO CHARACTERIZE THE EMERGING FORENSIC DISCIPLINE OF HAND IMAGE COMPARISON. THIS STUDY WILL PROVIDE ESSENTIAL EMPIRICAL DATA TO LABORATORY MANAGERS, PRACTITIONERS, STANDARDS ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM REGARDING HAND IMAGE COMPARISONS, INCLUDING A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF THE CAPABILITIES, VARIABILITY, AND LIMITS OF EXAMINERS; THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN EXAMINERS ABILITIES AND THEIR TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE; AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH A SINGLE EXAMINERS CONCLUSION IS ACCURATE AND CAN BE REPRODUCED BY A SECOND EXAMINER. THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY CAN BE LEVERAGED TO SUPPORT IMPROVEMENTS IN METHODOLOGY, STANDARDIZATION, TRAINING, AND PRACTICE, AND ULTIMATELY INFORM THE SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION OF HAND IMAGE COMPARISON FOR FORENSIC SCIENCE. THE PROPOSED STUDY INCLUDES FIVE PHASES: PHASE 1: HAND COMPARISON WORKING GROUPIN PHASE 1 THE STUDY TEAM WILL CREATE THE HAND COMPARISON WORKING GROUP (HAND-WG), WHICH WILL BE A SMALL VOLUNTEER WORKING GROUP OF IMAGE COMPARISON PRACTITIONERS AND RESEARCHERS. THE HAND-WG WILL BE CONSULTED FREQUENTLY TO ASSIST IN DETERMINING IN DETAIL THE APPROACHES USED THROUGHOUT THE STUDY. PHASE 2: STATE OF THE DISCIPLINE QUESTIONNAIRE (SDQ)IN PHASE 2 THE STUDY TEAM WILL DEVELOP AND CONDUCT A SURVEY DESIGNED TO CHARACTERIZE THE CURRENT STATE OF THE DISCIPLINE FOR HAND IMAGE COMPARISONS. PHASE 3: HAND IMAGERY REFERENCE DATASETIN PHASE 3 THE STUDY TEAM WILL COLLECT A LARGE SCALE, GROUND-TRUTH ATTRIBUTED HAND IMAGERY REFERENCE DATASET, A REFERENCE DATASET OF HAND COMPARISON IMAGERY COLLECTED UNDER A VARIETY OF CONTROLLED CONDITIONS. THE HAND IMAGERY REFERENCE DATASET WILL BE PUBLICLY RELEASED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY. PHASE 4: BLACK BOX EVALUATION OF HAND IMAGE COMPARISON DECISIONSIN PHASE 4 THE STUDY TEAM WILL CONDUCT A BLACK BOX EVALUATION OF HAND IMAGE COMPARISONS REPORTED BY PRACTICING EXAMINERS WITH VARYING LEVELS OF HAND IMAGE COMPARISON EXPERTISE. THE STUDY WILL EVALUATE THE DECISIONS IN TERMS OF ACCURACY (CORRECTNESS) AND REPRODUCIBILITY (INTER-EXAMINER CONSISTENCY). PHASE 5: REPORT OF RECOMMENDATIONSIN PHASE 5 THE STUDY TEAM WILL WORK WITH THE HAND-WG TO EVALUATE THE RESULTS OF PHASES 2-4 AND DEVELOP A REPORT OF RECOMMENDATIONS WITH PARTICULAR FOCUS ON LESSONS LEARNED, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING EXISTING AND PROPOSED STANDARDS, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES, TRAINING, AND QUALITY ASSURANCE. THE PROPOSED WORK WILL BE CONDUCTED BY NOBLIS, A NONPROFIT RESEARCH COMPANY WITH A PROVEN HISTORY OF SUCCESS IN CONDUCTING FORENSIC EVALUATIONS OF EXAMINERS, IN COLLABORATION WITH IMAGE COMPARISON SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS. CA/NCF

A BLACK BOX STUDY OF THE ACCURACY AND REPRODUCIBILITY OF TIRE EVIDENCE EXAMINERS' CONCLUSIONS

BIOMETRIC AND FORENSIC CATALOGUING AND METRICS DEVELOPMENT

PURPOSE: TO STUDY THE ACCURACY AND REPRODUCIBILITY OF PROJECTILE COMPARISONS BY FORENSIC FIREARM EXAMINERS.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THIS STUDY IS A FULL EVALUATION OF THE CONCLUSIONS MADE BY FIREARMS EXAMINERS IN COMPARING BULLETS. THE ACCURACY AND REPRODUCIBILITY OF BULLET COMPARISONS BY FIREARMS EXAMINERS HAVE NEVER BEEN ESTABLISHED IN A RIGOROUS STUDY. BECAUSE BULLET EVIDENCE IS OF SUCH HIGH PROBATIVE VALUE, THIS IS A NOTABLE GAP IN FORENSIC SCIENCE. A BULLET BLACK BOX STUDY RIGOROUSLY ASSESSES THE ACCURACY, REPRODUCIBILITY, AND REPEATABILITY OF CONCLUSIONS MADE BY FIREARMS EXAMINERS IN COMPARING BULLETS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO COMPLETE THE FIRST BLACK BOX STUDY OF PROJECTILE COMPARISONS, IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF BULLET COMPARISONS, AND TO PROVIDE NECESSARY INFORMATION ABOUT THE DISCIPLINE TO LABORATORY MANAGERS, TO PRACTITIONERS, AND TO THE LEGAL SYSTEM. THE 2016 PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL OF ADVISORS ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (PCAST) REPORT ON FORENSIC SCIENCE STATED THAT BLACK BOX EVALUATIONS ARE NECESSARY TO ESTABLISH THE VALIDITY OF FORENSIC EXAMINATION METHODS THAT RELY ON HUMAN JUDGMENT. ALTHOUGH BLACK BOX EVALUATIONS OF FORENSIC EXAMINATION OF CARTRIDGE CASES HAVE BEEN AND ARE BEING CONDUCTED, THERE HAS BEEN NO LARGE-SCALE ASSESSMENT OF BULLET COMPARISONS. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: THIS STUDY WILL PROVIDE ESSENTIAL INFORMATION TO LABORATORY MANAGERS, PRACTITIONERS, AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM, INCLUDING A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF THE CAPABILITIES, VARIABILITY, AND LIMITS OF FIREARMS EXAMINERS; 1) THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN FIREARMS EXAMINERS' ABILITIES AND THEIR TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE; 2) THE EXTENT TO WHICH A SINGLE FIREARMS EXAMINER'S CONCLUSION IS LIKELY TO BE ACCURATE AND REPRODUCED BY A SECOND FIREARMS ANALYST; AND 3) THE EXTENT TO WHICH FIREARMS EXAMINERS CONCUR ON WHETHER THE INFORMATION IN A GIVEN PATTERN IS SUFFICIENT TO RENDER A CONCLUSIVE OPINION. BY THE COMPLETION OF THE GRANT'S PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE, THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL DELIVER A FINAL RESEARCH REPORT TO NIST THAT DETAILS THE RESULTS AND FINDINGS. THE REPORT WILL BE WRITTEN TO BE SUBMITTED TO A PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL. RESULTS AND FINDINGS WILL BE PRESENTED AT APPROPRIATE VENUES SUCH AS THE ASSOCIATION OF FIREARM AND TOOLMARK EXAMINERS AND THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FORENSIC SCIENCES. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: FORENSIC LABORATORY MANAGERS, FORENSIC PRACTITIONERS, THE ACADEMIC RESEARCH COMMUNITY, OFFICERS OF THE COURT, THE US PUBLIC, AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM.SUBRECIPIENTS: NO SUBRECIPIENTS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS PROJECT.

BIOMETRIC AND FORENSIC DATA CATALOGUING AND CASE METRICS

PURPOSE: BLOODSTAIN PATTERN ANALYSIS (BPA) IS A FORENSIC SCIENCE DISCIPLINE THAT EXAMINES BLOODSTAIN PATTERNS AT CRIME SCENES TO RECONSTRUCT THE EVENTS THAT CAUSED THE BLOODSHED. A RECENT STUDY SHOWED LIMITATIONS IN THE ACCURACY AND REPRODUCIBILITY OF CLASSIFICATION CONCLUSIONS, SUGGESTING A CRITICAL NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT OF METHODS, STANDARDS, AND TRAINING FOR BPA ANALYSTS, BECAUSE SUCH ERRORS AND DISAGREEMENTS AMONG ANALYSTS COULD HAVE SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS IF THEY OCCURRED IN CASEWORK. THIS STUDY AIMS TO COLLECT EMPIRICAL DATA THAT PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO HOW AND WHEN ERRORS AND DISAGREEMENTS OCCUR ON BLOODSTAIN PATTERN ANALYSIS (BPA) CLASSIFICATION TASKS. STUDY RESULTS WILL INFORM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT, TRAINING ENHANCEMENTS, AND METHODOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS IN BPA, AND PROVIDE DATA TO SUPPORT POLICY DECISIONS, INFORM BEST PRACTICES, AND GUIDE FUTURE BPA RESEARCH.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE APPLICANT WILL CONDUCT AN EMPIRICAL STUDY WHERE QUALIFIED BPA ANALYSTS EVALUATE ASSIGNED HIGH-RESOLUTION BLOODSTAIN IMAGES USING THE BPA PROCESS MAP AND ANALYZE THE DATA TO DETERMINE WHERE AND WHY DISAGREEMENTS AND ERRORS OCCUR. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE PUBLISHED IN A FINAL REPORT. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: IN ADDITION TO EMPIRICAL DATA ON WHEN, HOW, AND WHY ERRORS AND DISAGREEMENTS OCCUR IN BPA CLASSIFICATIONS, THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL ADDRESS FOUR RESEARCH QUESTIONS: 1) HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE BPA PROCESS MAP IN CAPTURING BPA ANALYSTS OBSERVATIONS AND GUIDING THEM IN MAKING CONCLUSIONS?2) WHAT OBSERVATIONS AND FEATURES DO BPA ANALYSTS USE TO MAKE SPECIFIC CLASSIFICATIONS, AND HOW DO THEY DELINEATE BETWEEN SIMILAR CLASSIFICATIONS?3) WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF CONSISTENCY AND VARIABILITY IN OBSERVATIONS MADE BY BPA ANALYSTS? 4) TO WHAT EXTENT CAN ERRORS AND/OR DISAGREEMENTS BE EXPLAINED BY DIFFERENCES IN OBSERVATIONS VERSUS DIFFERENCES IN INTERPRETATIONS VERSUS SEMANTIC DIFFERENCES?INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THESE RESULTS ARE INTENDED FOR USE BY STANDARDS GROUPS, POLICY MAKERS, AND LABORATORY MANAGERS/TECHNICAL LEADERS TO IMPROVE METHODOLOGY, STANDARDIZATION, AND TRAINING. THIS PROPOSED EFFORT IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE CONFIDENCE IN AND THE USEFULNESS OF FORENSIC BPA RESULTS. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: THE RECIPIENT DOES NOT INTEND TO SUBAWARD FUNDS.

VALIDATION OF AURA OZONE DATA THROUGH ASSIMILATIONWE PROPOSE TO ASSIMILATE AURA OZONE DATA INTO A