Carlson CSI Office Forensic Crash and Crime Scene Mapping Software

Carlson CSI Office Crash Reconstruction and Crime Scene Mapping Software

Carlson CSI Office is specialised office software for investigators who need to turn measured accident or crime scene data into clear, accurate and organised drawings. It is designed around the working methods of law-enforcement agencies and accident reconstruction professionals rather than requiring investigators to build every scene manually with general-purpose CAD software.

The software is suitable for city and county police departments, state police, traffic investigation units and independent accident reconstruction consultants. Measurements collected in the field can be brought into the office, checked and developed into drawings for analysis, reporting and presentation.

Move Field Measurements Directly into the Scene Drawing

CSI Office is designed to reduce the amount of repetitive drafting required after investigators leave the scene. Its Quick Import workflow brings field data into the software and creates the basis of the scene drawing in one process. For teams recording many measured points at a collision or investigation site, this provides a more practical starting point than manually recreating every measurement in CAD.

The Points Editor provides a spreadsheet-style way to review and modify point information. Changes to point data can be reflected in the drawing, making it easier to correct descriptions, coordinates or other recorded information while reviewing the investigation back in the office.

Field to Finish for Accident and Crime Scene Data

Field-to-Finish functionality helps convert coded measurements into useful drawing elements. Investigators can work with point attributes and coordinate files and use field descriptions to organise the resulting scene drawing. This is especially useful for teams that use consistent field codes for road edges, lane markings, signs, vehicles, objects and other measured features.

For departments using Carlson CSI Mobile, this creates a connected workflow between measurements taken at the scene and the finished office drawing. Field crews can concentrate on collecting the required evidence and geometry while CSI Office handles much of the subsequent drawing preparation.

Vehicle Database for Traffic Accident Reconstruction

Traffic accident investigation is one of the main applications for Carlson CSI Office. The software includes an extensive vehicle specification database that investigators can use when creating scaled vehicle representations and reconstruction drawings.

Vehicle information can reduce the amount of geometry that must be created manually when documenting passenger vehicles involved in an incident. Combined with measured field positions, the vehicle tools help investigators build a clearer representation of where vehicles were located and how they relate to roads, markings and other objects at the scene.

Accident Reconstruction Tools

CSI Office includes a dedicated reconstruction toolkit for working with traffic accident information. This environment is intended for investigators and consultants who need more than a simple site sketch and want to use measured scene data as part of the reconstruction process.

The software supports reconstruction work involving multiple vehicles and provides reporting tools for documenting calculations and results. This makes the completed CAD scene useful not only as a drawing but also as part of a broader accident investigation workflow.

Create Clear Forensic Scene Drawings

The Design Palette gives users quick access to frequently used drawing functions and can be customised around the commands needed for a particular investigation workflow. Symbols, images, hatches and colour fills can be added to make different scene features easier to recognise.

This can be useful when a technical drawing needs to communicate more than coordinates alone. Road surfaces, structures, vehicles, objects and other features can be visually differentiated so another investigator, engineer or reviewer can understand the layout of the scene more quickly.

3D Room Builder for Indoor Crime Scenes

CSI Office is not limited to road accidents. The Room Builder is designed for indoor scene documentation and lets investigators create walls, doors and windows and inspect the resulting room in 3D. Buildings can also be developed from linework based on points measured in the field.

Walls, floors and other room elements can be given different colours to help recreate the layout of the investigated area. For an indoor crime scene this provides a more useful spatial representation than a basic two-dimensional sketch alone, particularly when the relationship between objects and room geometry is important.

Body Outline and Scene Symbol Tools

A dedicated Body Outline function allows an investigator to place and adjust a human body outline within the mapped scene. The position of the head, arms and legs can be changed so the diagram better reflects the documented position at the time the scene was measured.

CSI tools also provide symbols for common urban and scene features. These drawing aids help investigators create readable plans while keeping measured geometry and descriptive scene information together in the same drawing.

Add Photographs to the Mapped Scene

Photo images can be placed on the mapped accident or crime scene. This gives investigators a way to combine measured geometry with visual documentation instead of keeping the drawing and scene photographs completely separate.

Image placement can be useful when preparing a scene for internal review, reconstruction work or presentation because the drawing can show where relevant visual information relates to the measured environment.

Reporting and Investigation Documentation

CSI Office includes tools for producing investigation reports and accident narratives. Carlson’s documentation describes report output to common office formats including PDF, allowing calculated information and written documentation to be prepared alongside the scene drawing.

This helps keep measurement, reconstruction, drawing and reporting tasks within a more consistent workflow. Investigators can use the CAD drawing for spatial information while preparing supporting documentation for review or case records.

Works with Carlson CSI Mobile

CSI Office is the office component of Carlson’s crime and accident investigation workflow. Carlson CSI Mobile is used for field data collection, while CSI Office is used to process, analyse and map that information after investigators return from the scene.

CSI Mobile can record measured points and linework with compatible surveying equipment and data collectors. Once transferred to CSI Office, the same information can be developed into a more complete scene drawing without starting again from an empty CAD file.

Support for Professional Field Measurement

Accident reconstruction depends on knowing where relevant objects were located, so CSI workflows can be used with professional field measurement equipment. Carlson documentation describes support for field data collectors and data collection software, including Carlson CSI Mobile and Carlson survey technology.

This is particularly useful for reconstruction teams that use total stations or GNSS equipment to establish accurate scene geometry. Measured road edges, vehicle positions, skid marks, signs, structures and other evidence can be carried through to the office drawing for further investigation.

Built In CAD Environment

Carlson CSI Office includes an IntelliCAD-based CAD environment, giving investigators drawing and editing tools without requiring them to build their entire workflow around separate general-purpose drafting software. CAD functions are combined with CSI-specific commands developed for accident and crime scene documentation.

For an experienced CAD user this provides familiar drawing concepts, while investigators who primarily work with forensic scenes can concentrate on the specialised CSI tools rather than learning an unrelated engineering design package.

Who Uses Carlson CSI Office

Carlson CSI Office is primarily intended for organisations and professionals responsible for measured forensic scene documentation and traffic accident reconstruction.

• City and county police departments
• State and regional police organisations
• Traffic collision investigation teams
• Accident reconstruction specialists
• Forensic scene mapping professionals
• Independent reconstruction consulting firms

Its main advantage is the combination of field measurement data, forensic-specific CAD tools and reconstruction functions in one office workflow. Instead of treating surveyed points, photographs, vehicle data and the final drawing as unrelated information, CSI Office provides tools for bringing them together into a single mapped scene.

Choosing a Carlson CSI Workflow

The appropriate setup depends on how your team measures scenes in the field and how the resulting data needs to be processed in the office. A department using Carlson CSI Mobile can create a direct field-to-office workflow, while reconstruction consultants can use CSI Office to process data collected with compatible survey equipment and data collectors.

Global GPS Systems can help determine how Carlson CSI Office fits with your existing field equipment, data collection workflow and accident reconstruction requirements. This is particularly useful when combining the software with total stations, GNSS equipment, field controllers or Carlson CSI Mobile for a complete scene measurement and office processing setup.