computers in forensic science?

Question

What is the purpose of computers in Forensic Science? What technology is used for forensic science today?

Answer 1

Computers make it easier to do handwriting analyzing and without lab equipment, which are sort of like computers there could be no DNA testing. Without dental x-rays some bodies would remain unidentified. Computers have revolutionized the techniques used to match fingerprints. Until recently, the old standard was the Henry Classification System; a cumbersome sequence of letters and numbers broken down into several levels of classification. It could take weeks, sometimes months to compare a suspect fingerprint to a department's print files. The advent of digital technology has changed all of that. Prints can be image scanned directly into a computer, doing away with ink and fingerprint cards. Prints can be compared at a rate of 400,000 per second. You couldn't do that in your lifetime. Facial reconstruction is easier to do on the computer than to make a model of one. Blood can be analyzed to find out if it is human or animal. Fibers can be looked at closely to find matches. ↔

http://home.earthlink.net/~thekeither/Forensic/forsone.htm