Application of Sat Nav Forensics

|

Satellite Navigation

Satellite Navigation, often known as Sat-Nav, Sat Nav, SatNav, GPS Nav, GPS-Nav, or GPS nav is used commonly as a route finder on all forms of transport.

Standard Sat Nav is used in vehicles to give drivers directions and provide accurate route analysis, and by people who walk, run or orienteer. Marine Sat Nav is used to help ship steer accurately while Aircraft GPS is the form of Sat Nav used to accurately pinpoint the position and direction of aircraft.

Originally developed for military use Sat Nav devices are now commonly used by the general public and available in a wide range of devices and applications.  The use of Satellite Navigation systems in cars (either as a standard item of equipment or a portable device) naturally provides the greatest opportunity for accessing userful data.

Most Satellite Navigation systems have  management software and a variety of logs and configuration files that can be examined and broken down into readable and understandable data. Examination and interpretation of this data enables Disklabs’ Sat Nav Forensics experts to identify requested destinations, directions given to drivers and journey times. This information is naturally of great interest to law enforcement officers, defence lawyers, or employers for instance. Importantly it can be treated as admissible evidence in criminal and civil cases, provided appropriate evidence-gathering rules have been followed.

Benefits of Sat Nav forensics

Law Enforcement Officers.

The police, or other law enforcement agencies, may be able to exactly pinpoint the position of an accused person if that person used a Satellite Navigation system. If an accused person states that he was in one place, but his car Satellite Navigation system states that at the time that the vehicle was 200 miles away, the information given adds to the intelligence that the law enforcement agency has against the accused, or is even enough to charge the said accused person.

Prosecutors.

The prosecutors often work alongside the law enforcement agencies, and as such will use the information gained in Satellite Navigation forensics in the same way.

Defence Lawyers.

Defence lawyers are there to examine any and all evidence and try and pick flaws in it. If a law enforcement agency has not yet examined the Satellite Navigation system, the evidence produced may well be enough to have the accused proved innocent or cast doubt over his guilt. It is this reason that the more and more defence lawyers are turning to Satellite Navigation Forensics.

Employers.

Subject to the company handbook, the employees contract, and the company acceptable usage policy, (AUP), the employer may have the right to examine the Satellite Navigation systems of its mobile employees. This service is being used as employees want to know that their staff are indeed using their working hours efficiently. They may also use this service if they believe that the employee is not being as honest with their work details as they perhaps should.

Disklabs has a team of digital forensics experts who can analyse a wide variety of electronic devices, including Satellite Navigation systems, for criminal, civil and corporate investigations.

Call us on +44(0)1827 50000 or use our contact form to let us know your requirements.