This article describes the creation and benefits of a data set of blood spatter patterns scanned at high resolution and generated in controlled experiments.
The spatter patterns were produced with a rifle or a handgun with varying ammunition. The resulting atomized blood droplets traveled opposite to the bullet direction, producing a gunshot backspatter on a posterboard target sheet. Fresh blood with anti-coagulants was used: its hematrocrit and temperature were measured. The main parameters of the study were the bullet shape, size and speed, and the distance between the blood source and target sheet. The project produced images of 68 backspatters from a gunshot, each in an individual folder with text file listing the experimental conditions. Spatter images with dimensions of maximum 1.36m x 1.1m, scanned in a precise manner and reassembled with image-processing software. The data set can be used by researchers, with one purpose being to test crime-scene reconstruction models. These models classify patterns regarding their generation mechanism (e.g., beating or shooting), and they determine the region of origin of the blood spatter. The data also assists in the dissemination of blood spatters for teaching. The data set is new and original and has not been published elsewhere. The experimental design and methods described can be reproduced and used to produce additional blood spatters; however, there is still no consensus on which experimental setup is best in simulating the complexity of gunshot spatters in realistic conditions, i.e., where blood is located within a complex structure that involves body tissues and blood vessels covered by skin. 3 tables, 3 figures, 25 references, and appended supplementary materials
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