Can Airborne Hyperspectral Imaging Detect Hidden Graves?

Kurzfassung

This paper investigates the use of hyperspectral imaging as a non-invasive method to locate buried remains in open fields. Airborne HySpex data were acquired over two fields containing buried pig carcasses, considered as proxies for human bodies. The objective was to identify local spectral anomalies above the burial sites, indicative of decomposition processes locally enhancing vegetation health. The Red Edge Inflection Point (REIP) proved to be a particularly sensitive indicator, revealing spectral anomalies aligned with burial sites. A comparison with ground-based spectrometer data, based on absorption integrals in the 660–780 nm range, supported this analysis, despite the acquisitions being performed nearly one year apart. This suggests that airborne hyperspectral imaging could provide law enforcement with a scalable, non-invasive tool for locating graves in unsolved cases, complementing traditional ground-based methods.