Collaborative Research: Evidentiary Dilemmas and Emergent Publics: How Contestations over New Geospatial Technologies are Shaping International Justice

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

The use of new geospatial technologies, such as geo-satellite imaging, drones, and ground technology systems, in judicial investigations and proceedings has proliferated in recent years, not only among governmental and law enforcement bodies, but also by nongovernmental organizations, advocates, and ordinary citizens. Understanding how diverse communities are using and interpreting these new technologies is critical to our ability to grasp and forecast what justice looks like in the twenty-first century at the local, national, and international levels. Much of the project's data will be made publicly available in order to inform legal and public policies regarding the use of geospatial technologies in judicial proceedings. Data dissemination will enhance the public's understanding of science and the scientific method through the construction of a public archive that documents the role of technology in investigations and justice proceedings. The project also provides training for graduate and undergraduate students in methods of rigorous, scientific data collection and analysis. This multi-sited ethnographic research project is among the first empirical studies to examine how geospatial technologies are used by civil society stakeholders and legal experts in criminal and human rights investigations. In particular, research will focus on the new collaborations and contestations forming among litigants, civil society stakeholders, and technical and legal experts. Research will illuminate how geospatial technologies are being deployed by technical experts and laypersons alike in an effort to uncover forensic and other evidence for legal cases. The project will also explore whether and how these new forms of evidence are permitted within legal institutions, as well as the related tensions surrounding how different subject groups, including scientists and prosecutors, interpret the information generated by these technologies. The research project will use several qualitative methods to generate a rich data-set, including coding from 120 interviews with representatives of multiple groups, participant observation of technology trainings and court proceedings, archival analysis of public media, and visual analysis of satellite imagery. Results from this research will contribute to legal anthropology and sociolegal studies by exploring how new technologies are influencing evidentiary procedure and the ways within which different stakeholders participate in the judicial process. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.