A Review On Geospatial Intelligence For Investigative Journalism

Title

A Review On Geospatial Intelligence For Investigative Journalism

Creator

Harshitha V.; Nainani M.; Padmakumar M.M.; Kumar R.

Description

Throughout the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, satellite images like the vast convoy of Russian military vehicles approaching the beleaguered Ukrainian city of Kyiv, Russian aircraft deployed at Zyabrovka, Belarus and many more such visuals have been in circulation and are being used as a tool to facilitate investigative journalistic studies. Such satellite-based images are one of the latest means of accessing vital data that can help in expanding the scope and impact of investigative journalism. Geospatial intelligence uses varied graphical content to convey information about the activities that occur on the surface of the earth. It includes colour and panchromatic (black and white) aerial photographs, multispectral or hyperspectral digital imagery, and products such as shaded relief maps or three-dimensional images produced from digital elevation models. The improving technology in geospatial spectra has broadened the scope of its usage to investigative journalism which lies at the core of this review paper. Some of the path-breaking journalistic stories that have come up in the past decade - imaging of the Uttarakhand landslide in 2021 using satellite images, coverage of the Fukushima nuclear plant since 2011, and 2021 tracking of Asia's border disputes emerging due to climate change and the satellite journalism built around the blockage of Suez canal in 2021 - showcase the potential that geospatial intelligence has in the domain of journalism. All four identified stories point out how we can practice satellite-based investigative studies, especially, for scrutinizing and comparing historical records regarding cross-border issues as well as the disappearance of pastures and forests in vast open lands. However, the arena of using geospatial intelligence, enabled by satellite images, remains underutilized and limited to specific journalistic organizations, based in a few countries. This exploratory review of the four mentioned journalistic accounts identifies the contexts where such efforts are feasible, methods that are required, sources that could be tapped, associated skill sets needed for its usage, the dynamics of such investigative approaches, and their scope and limitations. This review and the conclusions drawn from the above-mentioned cases provides a direction for journalists from small organizations and low income countries to explore the potential of satellite-based images in furthering their investigative reporting with a technological edge that persists to be sovereign in the geopolitical powerplay. Copyright 2022 by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). All rights reserved.

Source

Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC, Vol-2022-September

Date

2022-01-01

Publisher

International Astronautical Federation, IAF

Subject

Geospatial Intelligence; Investigative Journalism; Satellite Imagery; Suez Canal; Uttarakhand Landslide

Coverage

Harshitha V., Department of Media and Communication Studies, Christ Deemed to be University, Hosur Road, Bhavani Nagar, S G Palya, Karnataka, Bengaluru, 560054, India; Nainani M., Department of Media and Communication Studies, Christ Deemed to be University, Hosur Road, Bhavani Nagar, S G Palya, Karnataka, Bengaluru, 560054, India; Padmakumar M.M., Department of Media and Communication Studies, Christ Deemed to be University, Hosur Road, Bhavani Nagar, S G Palya, Karnataka, Bengaluru, 560054, India; Kumar R., Grahaa Space, Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), Karnataka, Bengaluru, India

Rights

Restricted Access

Relation

ISSN: 741795

Format

Online

Language

English

Type

Conference paper

Identifier

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85167595784&partnerID=40&md5=3e834fe2e5a4b64512ff88cf42a96939