a public defender

As most of you know, I’m a tech-geek. I love technology and I love new gadgets and new software and cool things like that. I’ve started using technology in my day-to-day job and maybe you’ll find it useful too.

The tool I’m talking about is Microsoft’s Virtual Earth (you could use Google Earth too, but – surprise! – I prefer the MS version). Virtual Earth is software you download on your computer, which lets you view locations in 3D. I use it in conjunction with Live Maps (just pull up a map and then click on 3D – you will be prompted to download).

This is not a replacement for actual investigation, but merely a complement. I use this most frequently when reading police reports, to give myself a preliminary sense of the location and to orient myself with the streets and places mentioned in the report.

Say the police report states that the cops observed some activity taking place behind a building. I’d pull up that location on Live Maps and go to the 3D view. From there, I’d be able to tilt the map in all directions to see if, in fact, the police could have observed anything happening there. Gives you a sense of what the cops might have seen, without having to actually go there while you read the report.

A few examples follow. I’ve focused the map on that veritable hotbed of criminal activity: Iranistan Avenue, Bridgeport, CT.

The first one is a Bird’s Eye view of Iranistan Avenue:

This is the same image, but rotated:

This is the same image, but zoomed in on the cars:

Finally, this is with Bird’s Eye view off, which allows me to tilt the screen, so I can look at the location from different heights and angles:

We use maps all the time, but this is so much cooler and far more informative and interesting. Give it a shot and let me know what you think!