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The changes that occur to the human body after death reflect a multitude of complex biological processes, which can be impacted by a collection of variables that are not yet fully understood. Typically, information is obtained through in-situ examination and/or 2D data collection, which may restrict the availability of data and prevent collection of valuable information. To address this gap, the aim of this paper is to present a protocol for 3D data collection of human decomposition in outdoor environments. The specific objectives include presenting an approach and framework using wildlife cameras and performing 3D observation of a decomposing body. The method includes the design and construction of a walk-in cage including five frames holding 31 cameras, installed at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research. Preliminary trials completed on one subject in Zurich and various objects provided promising results through the generation of a 3D model. Comparing the wildlife cameras 3D model with a high-quality 3D model showed only minor discrepancies. This approach will be used in a study designed to improve our understanding of the human decomposition process to ultimately assist investigators with PMI estimations and to help reconstruct the sequence of events and time of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A settlement excavation of a site with waterlogged conditions was conducted in Küssnacht-Immensee (Lake Zug, Canton Schwyz, Switzerland). The documentation abandoned the idea of drawings and verbal description. Instead, based on prior research on the deposition mechanisms of this type of settlements, clearly specified sediment features were documented in a semi-quantitative fashion in a database, allowing for generic 3D modelling of the deposits and efficient 2D GIS-based evaluation of the excavation results. We present the database design and some example results that characterise the depositional processes. Strain-free profile photographs were mounted in the same 3D virtual model. We discuss different procedures and their pros and cons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historic rock reliefs are magnificent monuments that represent special events of the past. Due to exposure to the natural environment, these monuments are affected by natural and human erosion mechanisms. Many of them have disappeared over time and are no longer recognizable. This research seeks to find a way to understand the initial shapes of the rock reliefs that have been exposed to steady and prolonged erosion. For this purpose, a case study was selected in southern Iran that has been damaged over hundreds of years by a stream of water and has partially disappeared. The water flow has caused a groove to be formed along the cliff and apparently a strip of the relief has disappeared. Documenting the inner surface of the groove revealed that this surface is not smooth and there are still remnants of unclear reliefs in eroded sections. By examining the erosion effects on initially vertical smooth sections, it was possible to arrive at a formula to determine the damage caused by the water flow on cliffs. Based on this, it was determined to what extent the water flow had reduced the amount of rock at each height. Accordingly, each level of the damaged relief was virtually moved forward to the same extent. In this way, parts of the disappeared rock relief were virtually rebuilt. The results of this study showed that by measuring the gradual and continuous erosion factors and determining the extent of damage, the original shape of the damaged rock reliefs could somehow be reconstructed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]