As the insurance market continues to see an increase in thecomplexity of risks being underwritten, the techniques used byproperty adjusters, damage appraisers and forensic engineers mustadapt. Three-dimensional (3-D) laser scanning allows adjusters andinvestigators to not only document the scope of damage digitallyand in real time, but provides data that can be used by riskmanagement and underwriting teams for future risk assessments.

Accurate documentation and preservation of evidence is acritical component of any forensic investigation. The use of 3-Dlaser scanning enables an investigator to document a complex objector an entire accident scene in the form of millions of measurablepoints, often in less time than traditional methods. Not only isthe level of documentation detail staggering, but the scanner canmeasure objects considered immeasurable just a few years ago.

In their simplest form, 3-D scanners utilize lasers to generatethree-dimensional copies to millimeter accuracy of complex,real-life objects and environments. The end result of a single scanis a collection of millions of measurable data points containingrelative x, y, z locations. A series of scans are then stitchedtogether to create an exact color copy of the as-built condition,scene or environment. In the same way that a digital camera, a tapemeasure and graph paper are tools of the forensic investigator, 3-Ddocumentation is increasingly becoming an asset in the sametoolbox.