The application of low-altitude near-infrared aerial photography for detecting clandestine burials using a UAV and low-cost unmodified digital camera

Abstract

Aerial photography and remote sensing has been carried out in the past by numerous different platforms, utilizing imaging from across the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum to gain information about the earth. These techniques have additionally been found effective when locating mass graves and single clandestine graves created by perpetrators when concealing homicide victims. Applications for performing aerial photography and remote sensing are costly and therefore usually overlooked by police investigators, resulting in employing more contemporary geophysical methods for locating burials. Recent advances in technology however have seen the development of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for aerial photography which can be executed at low altitude and controlled remotely from the surface. This development has introduced low-cost approaches in detecting surface features, commonly utilised in the archaeological field for its accuracy in detecting anomalies, particularly when using near-infrared (NIR) photography. NIR aerial images have been shown to expose cropmarks of historical value which are unnoticeable in conventional colour photography, deriving from the visual area of the EM spectrum. However, little attempt has been made to investigate the practice of NIR photography to detect clandestine graves using low-cost aerial platforms in the form of UAVs. This paper considers adopting a low-cost and non-invasive approach to detect clandestine graves through the implementation of a small UAV and an unmodified GoPro camera fixed with a near-infrared filter. The results presented here have recognised real-time suitability for using UAVs as an aerial photographic platform in the forensic archaeological field as well as noting the advantage of NIR photography as an ongoing technique for discriminating recent graves from their surroundings.

A Low Cost Approach to Disturbed Soil Detection Using Low Altitude Digital Imagery from an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

“…With regards to clandestine burial detection all previous academic work has relied upon the use of custom or modified payloads, such as the addition of filters [35] or the modification of commercial cameras [29] to achieve positive results. As such, law enforcement is limited with implementing these approaches as these agencies lack the expertise or funding required to purchase or modify highly specific UAV devices.…”

“…Due to its capability for fast deployment with limited demands upon police resources. While the literature surrounding the use of UAVs for clandestine burial detection is generally limited [20,21,35], questions have been raised regarding their practical usage in large scale homicide investigations, with regards to the detection of buried remains. As such, Murray et al (2018) have written an exhaustive review on the use of the use of UAVs and multiple sensors for the detection of clandestine graves and surface remains [21].…”

Sensor Information Sharing Using a Producer-Consumer Algorithm on Small Vehicles

“…A basic platform scenario requires resources at three fundamental layers. The perception layer (indoor systems) uses a GoPro-type internal camera [ 5 , 6 ] or a VICON type external camera sophisticated system [ 7 , 8 ]. The communication layer involves the use of transmitters, routers, and standardized protocols such as WiFi, Zigbee, or Bluetooth [ 9 ].…”

An Unsharp Masking Algorithm Embedded With Bilateral Filter System for Enhancement of Aerial Photographs

“…Aerial photographs are usually obtained from the flying objects such as on board satellite sensor, unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) or drones used to be source of significant information of remote sensing applications [1]. Classification of intelligent information from the aerial photographs areinformative and require sophisticated algorithmic tools to do precise informative data processing [2].…”