Extracting invariant characteristics of sketch maps: Towards place query-by-sketch

In geography, invariant aspects of sketches are essential to study because they reflect the human perception of real-world places. A person's perception of a place can be ex-pressed in sketches. In this article, we quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed the characteristics of single objects and characteristics among objects in sketches and the real world to find reliable invariants that can be used to establish references/correspondences between sketch and world in a matching process. These characteristics include category, shape, name, and relative size of each object. Moreover, quantity and spatial relationships—such as topological, or-dering, and location relationships—among all objects are also analyzed to assess consistency between sketched and actual places. The approach presented in this study extracts the reliable invariants for query-by-sketch and prioritizes their relevance for a sketch-map matching process

Professionalism in Crime Scene Examination: Recruitment Strategies, Part 2: Using a Psychometric Profile of Top Crime Scene Examiners in Selection Decision Making

Recruiting high-caliber personnel is crucial in law enforcement and in the forensic sciences. Selecting personnel with the potential to excel in crime scene work is no exception. This is the third paper in a series on professionalism in crime scene examiners (CSEs). The first paper identified the seven key attributes that set top-performing CSEs apart from their lesser performing peers. The second paper presented an overview of a recruitment strategy for selecting applicants with the potential to become top-performing CSEs. In the second paper the author discussed the use of psychometric testing as a resource to aid decision making in hiring well. The aim of this paper is to expand that discussion of how psychometric testing can be used appropriately in forensic recruitment decision making. This paper will provide forensic managers with a valid psychometric profile of top-performing CSEs along with guidelines for how to use this profile correctly within a targeted and focused five-stage recruitment proces