FARO: Forensic Aerial Remote Observation - Forensic Geophysics

A 2.5 hr hybrid seminar on forensic geophysics at OttawaU: Real geo-forensic applications in the industry with guest expert Dr. Kate M. FARO (in Spanish) means lighthouse. As we see it...a lighthouse won't find the ship - it will narrow the ocean. That's what geophysics does for a forensic search: it reads what the subsurface holds so investigators dig where the evidence says to dig. This two-and-a-half-hour hybrid seminar introduces forensic geophysics as a working discipline, where geoscience instrumentation meets forensic questions. 3XMAG Technologies (Ottawa) presents the methods: UAV magnetometry, LiDAR, satellite multispectral analysis; and a walk-through of three real forensic geophysics cases: • Mer Bleue (Ottawa) - a public UAV magnetometry pilot locating WWII-era ordnance in the bog, minutes from the venue. • An anonymized international mass-grave ongoing investigation - how multisensor data narrowed hectares to priority polygons. • A case brought by our co-presenter - introduced in Part 1, told in full in Part 2. DETAILS TBD Part 2 belongs to Dr. Kate Murdock (Secretariat, Boston), Professional Geologist (NH, PA, GA) and Professional Forensic Geoscientist. She will present her case on the business of defensible geophysics: what makes data stand up in court, in contracts and through scientific rigour. We close with an open discussion and questions. WHY ATTEND - For industry: non-invasive site screening that narrows hectares to priority polygons, and data built to withstand expert review. For science: a forming discipline that needs baselines, reproducible workflows and honest treatment of uncertainty. FORMAT: In person at the University of Ottawa (seats capped - register early) or online (open). Live stream only; no recording will be published. A NOTE ON SCOPE: Geophysics guides the search and narrows the ground; it does not, on its own, make forensic determinations.