The RISEN Project – A Novel Concept for Real-time on-site Forensic Trace Qualification

Marco Manso PARTICLE SUMMARY, Lda.
Rua da Venezuela, n 29, 14 E, 1500-618 Lisboa, PORTUGAL e-mail:

Roberto Chirico, RISEN Project Coordinator, ENEA, Via Enrico Fermi, 45, 00044 Frascati (Rome), ITALY email:

Following a chemical or biological attack, the rate at which a forensic investigation proceeds is critical for capturing perpetrators and preventing future incidents. Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) is a process that aims at recording the scene as it is first encountered and recognizing and collecting all the physical evidence potentially relevant to the solution of the case. Conventional CSI processes involve sensitive and delicate steps related with the identification and transportation of traces that may subsequently be subjected to laboratory analysis, a process that can take several hours or days.

In this paper, we present the Real-tIme on-site forenSic tracE qualificatioN (RISEN) project, an innovate concept in forensic investigations in the context of CSI of sites affected by a chemical or biological attack. Coordinated by ENEA, RISEN will develop a set of network- enabled real-time contactless sensors for handling traces on site and accurate 3D recreation mechanisms of the entire crime scene, providing an immersive environment for investigators to evaluate hypotheses and conduct highly detailed investigations. The RISEN concept will allow forensics investigators and judicial authorities, to gather high quality information from a vast list of visible and invisible traces (localisation, identification/classification, interpretation and labelling) from a crime scene through standardised reports and a secure way, also speeding- up the forensic investigation process.

The RISEN project started in July 2020 and has a duration of 4 years.