OpenFMC & X3P

Background

The OpenFMC (Open Forensic Metrology Consortium) is a group of academic, industry, and government Firearm Forensics researchers whose aim is to establish file formats, means of data exchange, and best practices for researchers using metrology in the forensic sciences (official mission statement to come). The group's first action is the establishment of the X3P file format for the exchange of metrology data. To join our group or mailing list simply drop us a line.

X3P File Format

Background. The X3P (XML 3D Surface Profile) format is being adopted by a group of academic, industry, and government firearm forensics researchers. As a commonly supported file format, X3P will facilitate both the sharing of data and algorithm development. X3P represents an efficient storage format. An X3P file is approximately 10x smaller than a text file version of the same data. X3P also allows for the storing of meta-data (i.e., additional data fields for each scan). We strongly encourage all researchers and equipment manufacturers to support X3P.

History. The X3P format was initially developed and supported by the openGPS community and conforms to ISO 25178 and ISO 25178-72 regarding geometry and XML-based file exchange format.

Source Code and Documentation. Source code is available from GitHub. The code contains build notes for C++ and Matlab compiled versions (Windows 64bit). People are encouraged to download, use, and contribute to this code. If you'd like to be added to the OpenFMC email list please drop us a line and mention OpenFMC.