From an article in Officer.
The Evolution of Crime Scene Sketching
In the past, crime scene documentation included photos, (maybe videos taken with a camcorder), and manual diagram sketching. Though these tools were helpful in the past, presently there are much more advanced tools that can be used to document each detail of your scene.
If you have ever had the opportunity to reopen a cold case, often you will immediately notice the difference in quality, (and quantity), of the photos in the case file as well as any video that was captured with a camcorder. Even if in your career you used those types of tools, looking at those case files compared to the current ones is a huge difference.
Sketches were originally done with graph paper. From there they progressed into basic software programs that would generate sketches based on dimensions and measurements entered by the investigator to make them closer to scale. More recent software programs enhance a scene by bringing it to life in 3D. This method is still used today of course for smaller scenes.
When it comes to larger scenes or outdoor in particular it can be difficult to capture every detail. Drones have made the unthinkable possible when it comes to crime scene documentation on a large scale.
Drones
Drones have given a whole new outlook on diagramming and documenting outdoor crime scenes. One problem that crime scene investigators and detectives often run into is the inability to capture the whole scene. So often a scene will be in an obscure location making it difficult for investigators to photograph the scene. Having a drone allows investigators to document every inch quickly and accurately.
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