Scout Aerial was engaged in a research project to develop an algorithm to detect clandestine graves.
CLIENT: A leading University in partnership with the Australian Federal Police
When a body breaks down, the liver toxins poison the vegetation and stunt its growth, so the vegetation surrounding a mass grave can provide useful clues. Detection is based on multispectral analysis of sometimes difficult-to-access sites, identifying anomalies in the ground cover that can point us to unknown grave sites.
The trial was performed at a classified ‘body farm’ where multiple operations over long periods of time were conducted to analyse trends and build a solid framework for machine learning development.