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Geospatial Evidence in International Human Rights Litigation: Technical and Legal Considerations

This report provides the first comprehensive assessment of how geospatial technologies have been used in international human rights litigation, including an exhaustive review of international human rights court cases in which satellite imagery and remote sensing have been presented as evidence. Based on the experience of AAAS as a leader in the use of geospatial technologies such as remote sensing for human rights documentation, the report makes recommendations for international courts, human rights NGOs, geospatial analysts, government agencies and private providers of imagery on how best to incorporate these technologies into human rights practice and international justice proceedings

This report is the product of the Innovative Methods for Applied Geospatial Evidence (IMAGE) project. With support from the Oak Foundation, the project works to strengthen the scientific foundation of human rights-based geospatial analysis through advanced research projects, aimed at enhancing the toolkits available to practitioners; and to advance the use of geospatial technologies in international human rights and criminal litigation through partnership and collaboration with international courts and commissions, as well as through and several related research and documentation activities.