Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the usability of the Autopsy Forensic Browser in order to improve future versions of this, or similar, tools. Design/methodology/approach The software Autopsy Forensic Browser was analysed for usability using a cognitive walkthrough approach. Findings The results of the evaluation indicate that there are many areas where usability could be improved and these are classified into areas of eight overlapping areas. Examples from each area are presented, with suggestions as to methods to alleviate them. Research limitations/implications The review is limited by the use of the “expert evaluator” approach rather than using a user‐based evaluation. This would tend to mean that some of the usability errors would be “false positives”, while some usability issues were not uncovered. A user‐based evaluation could be a future project. Practical implications Usability could be improved of the Autopsy Forensic Browser and developers of such systems should engage with the usability and interaction design community to enhance their software. It would be helpful for users, if future versions of the software take account of the findings of the paper. Originality/value This is one of the first reviews of the usability of forensic analysis software and the first for the Autopsy Forensic Browser system. The value is the findings suggest practical ways to enhance usability, which will impact on the effectiveness of investigators.

Many systems and strategies have been proposed for processing nonterminating data streams. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages, including the kinds of queries that can be executed. We present a framework for characterizing the kinds of queries that can be executed over streams based on a notion of compact sets from topology. We first apply our framework to queries over punctuated data streams. Previous work on punctuations focused primarily on the behavior of individual query operators. We use our framework to determine if an entire query can benefit from punctuations available from stream sources. We then consider other common strategies proposed in the literature for executing queries over streams, and we discuss how our framework can characterize the kinds of queries each strategy can answer.

Visualisation of geological process raises special issues for scientists and animators. The degree of physical movement of a rising arch or along a fault line may be very small compared to the normal terrain variation. Over a long time period the major changes in the environment may come from the more substantial surface manifestations of changing draining regimes. In Tamil Nadu State in South-Eastern India there are continuing tectonic movements arising from the collision of the subcontinent with the greater Asian land mass. Over comparatively recent times (7000 years) these movements have had a major impact on drainage and other hydrological outcomes. The Cauvery River in particular has migrated several hundred kilometres over this period. A mosaic was made from recent satellite imagery and then manipulated to create surface textures for dates between 7000 years and 1000 years. Changes in the terrain surface, such as rising arch structures and descending grabens, have been modelled and animated. The combination of terrain movement and surface change provides a visual history of the period.