CraMs: Craniometric Analysis Application Using 3D Skull Models

Craniometric analysis plays an important role in anthropology studies and forensics. This paper presents CraMs, an application using a new craniometric approach based on 3D models of the skull. The main objective is to obtain, through a process supervised by anthropologists, the main points of interest used to compute craniometric measurements. The application aids this process by analyzing the skull geometry and automatically providing points of interest. The application also allows for semiautomatic point detection, where the user provides an initial guess that might be refined based on the curvature of the skull, as well as the manual selection of any other points of interest. Moreover, results comparing measurements obtained with CraMs and traditional craniometry methods on eight skulls suggest that the application provides comparable craniometric measurements and lower inter-observer variability. This approach offers advantages such as an easier access to skulls with no risk of bone damage and the possibility of defining new measurements based on morphology or other skull characteristics, which are not possible using traditional methods.