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Service areas
Middle Tennessee
- Nashville
- Clarksville
- Murfreesboro
- Franklin
- Hendersonville
- Smyrna
- Spring Hill
- Gallatin
- Lebanon
- Columbia
- Brentwood
- Mount Juliet
- La Vergne
- Cookeville
East Tennessee
West Tennessee
Photogrammetry-Ready Scene and Vehicle Photography
Photograph sets taken so that measurements can be extracted from them later: overlapping coverage, fixed camera settings, and scale references and control points in the frame. For reconstruction experts and the carriers and attorneys who retain them.
- Coverage
- 95 of 95 counties
- Dispatch
- 24 / 7 / 365
- Metro response
- Under 60 min avg.
- Statewide
- 4-hour guarantee
What this service covers
Photogrammetry is the practice of deriving measurements and three-dimensional geometry from photographs. It works when the photographs were taken for the purpose. Each surface has to appear in several overlapping images from different positions, the camera settings have to be consistent, and objects of known size or measured position must be visible. Casual scene photographs, taken to show damage, seldom meet those conditions and often cannot be processed at all.
Delator Claims Division captures photo sets to those requirements for scenes and for vehicles. The analysis itself, meaning the software processing and the model or scaled drawing that results, is normally carried out by the retaining party's reconstruction expert. The field assignment therefore centers on giving that expert complete, well-controlled source images, the measured distances needed to scale and check them, and a capture log explaining how the set was made.
When photographs need to carry measurements
- A reconstruction expert in another state wants to build a scaled model of a Tennessee scene without visiting it in person.
- A damaged vehicle is about to be released to salvage and its deformed shape needs to be preserved in measurable form.
- The scene is too large or too busy to measure point by point from the roadside in the time available.
- Existing police or bystander photographs need control measurements from the site so an analyst can extract distances from them.
- Both sides want a single agreed photo set of a scene or vehicle that either expert can process independently.
What a photogrammetry-ready set includes
- Overlapping image sequences
- Photographs are taken in planned passes with substantial overlap between consecutive frames and between passes, so each feature appears in several images.
- Scale references in frame
- Objects of known length are placed within the scene or around the vehicle and left in position throughout the pass, with their lengths recorded.
- Control point measurements
- Distances between identifiable fixed points visible in the images are measured on site, giving the analyst independent values to scale the model and test it.
- Camera and lens record
- Camera body, lens, focal length and settings are logged, and zoom and focus are held constant through each sequence wherever conditions allow.
- Vehicle exterior passes
- Vehicles are photographed in rings at more than one height around the full perimeter, with additional convergent coverage of the damaged area.
- Original image files
- Unedited image files with their embedded data are delivered along with a capture log listing each sequence, its subject and the order it was taken.
From request to delivered record
- RequestCall dispatch or submit the request form with the location, loss type and urgency.
- DeployDispatch assigns the nearest available licensed field investigator through the statewide network.
- DocumentPhotographs, video, measurements and factual notes are captured once the scene is safe to work.
- PreserveFiles are timestamped, organized and kept in their original form with a record of who captured them.
- ReportThe package is delivered securely to the requesting party, typically the same day.
What makes a photo set usable for measurement
Processing software finds the same features in many images and works out where the camera must have been for each. That requires overlap, sharp focus across the frame, even exposure and a changing camera position between shots. Standing in one place and turning does not work. Reflective paint, glass, wet pavement and moving traffic all make matching harder, so investigators shoot additional frames in those conditions and avoid harsh shadow where the timing of the visit permits.
Scale and control are what turn a model into measurements. A reconstruction without known distances has the right shape and no size. Scale references in the frame set the size, and separately measured control distances let the analyst check the result against values that were not used to build it. On a roadway, lane lines, drain inlets and pole bases serve as natural control. On a vehicle, undamaged dimensions such as wheelbase do the same.
From capture to the expert's analysis
The original files, capture log and control measurements are delivered securely to the requesting party, typically the same day. If the retaining party's expert has a capture protocol, it is followed, and the expert can review a sample of images before the investigator leaves the site if arrangements are made in advance. Where no protocol is supplied, the set is taken to general close-range practice and the log states what was done.
An expert can use a processed set to produce scaled diagrams, measure tire mark lengths and curvature, locate evidence, or compare a vehicle's deformed shape with an undamaged exemplar. Those are analytical steps with their own assumptions and error. Delator's personnel have accident reconstruction experience and understand what the downstream work needs, but the capture assignment makes no finding about speed or legal fault, and whether any resulting exhibit is accepted in a proceeding is decided by the court.
Delator personnel have accident reconstruction experience. The work product is physical evidence and technical findings; it does not determine legal fault, which remains with the parties, the court or a jury.
Delator Claims Division is not an engineering firm. Whether any analysis is accepted in a proceeding is decided by the court.
Common questions about this service
Do you deliver a 3D model or point cloud?
The standard deliverable is the source material: original image files, scale and control measurements, and the capture log. Most reconstruction experts prefer to process the images in their own software so they can speak to every step. If you need processing as well, raise it with the request so the scope can be confirmed.
Can existing photographs be made usable after the fact?
Sometimes. If photographs taken at the time show fixed features that still exist, the investigator can measure those features on site so an analyst has control values for the old images. Whether the images can then be processed depends on their quality and coverage, which is for the analyst to judge.
How many photographs does a set involve?
It depends on the size and complexity of the subject. A single vehicle requires far fewer frames than a long curve with marks and debris. The count matters less than coverage and overlap. The capture log lists every sequence, so the analyst can see how each area was covered.
Does weather or time of day affect the capture?
Yes. Even, overcast light gives the most consistent results, while low sun, deep shadow, rain and wet reflective surfaces make feature matching harder. Under Routine deployment the visit can be timed for suitable light. On Rush or Emergency assignments the set is taken in the conditions available and the log records them.
Available statewide, including
Every Tennessee county is covered. See the deployment map for typical response tiers by county.
Request documentation anywhere in Tennessee
Dispatch is staffed around the clock. For time-sensitive scenes, calling is fastest; the request form works for routine and scheduled assignments.