Satellites are about to change how crimes are investigated. This is not completely new. The Australian authorities have used satellites for decades, especially for cases connected to illegal logging. Satellites ensure accurate and reliable imagery, which is just what law enforcers need to secure convictions.Besides improved resolution, companies like U.K’s Satellite Applications Catapult are benefitting from the growing number of Earth observation satellites. Costs can be kept low with the availability of more data. Moreover, Catapult’s technology could support both space surveillance and international security as well.
However, this raises the old bugbear of privacy. Can anyone now spy on anyone? Most satellites are commercially owned so you can pay for the imagery – no matter what it may be. Hence, the industry is likely to face ethical challenges over privacy if a set of standards is not established to govern satellite usage.
Crime busting from space is no longer confined to the comic books.