Earth observation technology’s alignment with OHCHR indicators for strengthening human rights breach investigations and adjudication

Human rights investigations demand reliable data sources to substantiate alleged events, and satellite imagery offers diverse options crucial for evidential support. This paper delineates how Earth Observation (EO) imagery can be tailored to align with the requirements outlined by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) indicators, facilitating stakeholders in optimising their studies with applicable technological applications. To streamline EO technology, the paper categorises it into six primary payloads capable of observing such events: multispectral visible. multispectral infrared, passive microwave, hyperspectral, synthetic aperture radar, and meteorological datasets. Given variations in versatility across applications, the study further segregates each into ’full’ and ’partial’ applications. As shown here, EO data is an emerging form of digital evidence in legal proceedings for human rights breaches. The paper outlines the current trends in court cases and then outlines future opportunities for applications, based on the OHCHR taxonomy. This paper encourages investigators to fully consider the range of EO technology available, and the likely challenges to its relevance and admissibility, in such proceedings.