3-D Imagery to Aid in Recovery of Missing Children

 
A new software program called AmberView™ creates enhanced 3-D digital images from static facial scans to aid law enforcement in tracking down missing children. The 3-D image – along with biographical information on each child – is stored on a secure server. Once a child goes missing and the system is activated, the 3-D image and other data on that child can be mass broadcast within minutes through a web-based system to law enforcement, media organizations and other sources. The program is being piloted in West Virginia in partnership with the state’s schools before being rolled out nationally.
 
The first few hours of a child’s disappearance are crucial as 74% of abducted children who are murdered are dead within three hours of the abduction. Yet law enforcement efforts are often frustrated by the inability of parents to provide a recent image of a missing child or even to agree on a description. The accuracy of the AmberView™ image and the speed with which it can be generated builds on the current Amber Alert System and improves the chance that authorities or the general public will spot the child in the early stage of the abduction.
 
Law enforcement can view the AmberView™ image on a computer or cell phone, and it can even be posted on digital highway signs, where available. The software is also compatible with satellite technology. In anticipation of transmission problems in rural areas, arrangements are being made to bring in remote towers for wi-fi communication.
 
The AmberView™ technology was developed by the West Virginia High Technology Consortium with funding from the Department of Justice. For more information visit www.amberview.org