Remote Sensing Applications in Forensic Investigations

Abstract

Remote sensing applications in forensic investigations can be used as a forensic investigative tool, since it can provide data to the various judicial authorities, ordinary, criminal and civil, mostly engaged in the investigation of crimes against the environment and the territory. In this chapter the main features will be explained both theoretically and practically thanks to some case studies.

Appendix: A Brief History of Aerial Photography in Italy

The first aerial photographs in Italy were taken from a balloon in 1897, while the first pictures from aeroplane as part of a military reconnaissance were taken in February 1912, during the Libyan war, from the plane of Captain C. M. Piazza. It was, however, during the First World War and the years immediately following that the airplane began to be used for aerial photography .

The first aerial photos of Rome to be taken from an aeroplane are the flight of Umberto Nistri (1919), who later (in the 1920s and 1930s) founded the first aerial survey company (Sara Nistri) still in business today (Fig. 5.10).

Fig. 5.10

Photogram from the Sara Nistri flight of 1934. In the central part of the image can be seen the Vatican City with the Basilica of Saint Peter (Authorization for Use for editorial purposes by the Central Institute for Cataloguing and Documentation – MiBACT and the British School at Rome – further reproduction and/or duplication by any means is forbidden)

The Military Geographical Institute (IGM), starting in 1925, executed a series of aero-photogrammetric surveys on the national territory, in order to update the topographic plates in the 1:25,000 scale. The photographs taken since 1945 are available on the interactive catalogue on the IGM¹ website.

During the Second World War, the belligerent air forces flew over the Italian territory, for purposes of reconnaissance and strategic planning. While photos of the Italian Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe (characterized by the large frames in 30 × 30 cm formats) are still little known, those taken by the Anglo-Americans between 1943 and 1945, however, are well-known and renowned. Apparently, millions of frames were taken, in two sizes (18 × 24 and 24 × 24 cm). The group of photos remained in Italy (more than 800,000 aerial photos), collected in two large collections traditionally known as “the RAF fund” (Acronym for the British Royal Air Force) (Fig. 5.11) and “USAAF fund” (acronym for United States Army Air Force), it is now preserved in the National Aerofototeca (AFN) at the Central Catalogue Institute and Documentation (ICCD – Ministry of Cultural Heritage), based in Rome, Italy. At the same Institute are also stored frames from supplementary flights that cover, at different scale and discontinuously, the national territory during a period of time, ranging from the late 1800s to the present, and survey flights of various eras, scales and areas. These flights were carried out over several years, by several private companies operating in the field of aerial photography and aerial photogrammetry .

Fig. 5.11

Photogram nr. 5S8234 belonging to the “the RAF fund” preserved at the National Aerofototeca ICCD. The photo, taken January 6, 1944, highlights the historic center of Rome. In particular, in the lower right corner you can see the Colosseum and the archaeological area of the Palatine, the Roman Forum, the Celio and the Colle Oppio (use Permission for editorial purposes by the Central Institute for Cataloguing and Documentation – MiBACT and the British School at Rome – further reproduction and/or duplication by any means is forbidden)

Later, under an American contract, a consortium of private companies was formed, called the Italian Air Group (GAI), that between 1954 and 1955, made the first systematic stereoscopic aerial coverage of Italy (the GAI flight, also called the basic flight).

At the national level, low altitude flight images are available for the production of topographic maps at medium-large scale. They are available in the official websites of the individual regions, where, among other things, is available information on the conditions for the acquisition of photogrammetric and mapping material .