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Satellite Evidence in the Courtroom

Written by  Tuesday, 19 May 2026 06:16
Cyber-resilience

Satellite imagery can show when a crime leaves a mark on the landscape – a village destroyed, a lake drained, a forest cleared. However, whether a court will accept satellite evidence remains an open question. The 'Earth Observation for Human Rights and Legal Accountability Mechanisms' project, co-funded by the Discovery element of ESA's Basic Activities and the Centre for Sustainable Development at the University of Strathclyde, examined how Earth observation data can be systematically analysed and presented to meet the evidentiary standards required in legal proceedings.

Related publications:

Rapach, S. and Riccardi, A. (2023) 'A framework for mapping Earth observation capabilities to the OHCHR indicators', International Astronautical Congress 2023 (IAC), 14th–18th October 2023, Baku, Azerbaijan.

Rapach, S., Riccardi, A. and Wheate, R. (2024) 'Earth observation technology's alignment with OHCHR indicators for strengthening human rights breach investigations and adjudication', Science and Justice, 64(6), pp. 710–727.

Rapach, S., Riccardi, A., Wheate, R., Nemeth, V. and Samuel, E. (2024) 'Navigating legal challenges in Earth observation: a case study of Lake Ziway', IEEE International Humanitarian Technologies Conference 2024, 27th–30th November 2024, Bari, Italy.

Rapach, S., Riccardi, A. and Wheate, R. (2025) 'Integrating AI in legal analysis of satellite imagery: a focused approach using transformer models to guide classification', Living Planet Symposium 2025, 23rd–27th November 2025, Vienna, Austria.

Rapach, S., Wheate, R. and Riccardi, A. (2025) 'Crime scene to courtroom: evaluating EO as forensic evidence in criminal justice', International Astronautical Congress 2025, 29th September–3rd October 2025, Sydney, Australia.


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