Global Positioning System data, aka GPS data, is everywhere. A wealth of information can be harvested from GPS capable devices. Here's how it works and what that means:
There are currently 31 operational GPS satellites in the United States GPS Constellation. In addition to the 31 which are operational, there are some GPS Satellites that are decommissioned and yet others that are spares and can be put into service should any of the operational Satellites fail to work. According to the U.S. Government, the satellites fly at an altitude of 12,550 miles which is 20,200 kilometers. This orbit is called a Medium Earth Orbit. Each satellite orbits the Earth twice per day.
The operator of the GPS Constellation, The United States Space Force, is committed to a 95% availability of the GPS system. Of course one of the largest users is the U.S. Military which uses GPS for a wide variety of applications.
Billions of Devices
The number of GPS Capable devices on the planet is in the Billions. These devices include:
- Cell Phones
- Tablets
- Infotainment Systems aka IVE's
- Cars
- GPS Navigation Devices
- Electronic Logging Devices aka ELDs
- Smart Watches / Wearables
- Apple Tag devices
- And more
The latest GPS devices can be accurate to within a few feet. In the future, it is expected that GPS accuracy will increase and become accurate to less than a foot. The accuracy of the data in a GPS device can be affected by the device, weather, buildings, topography, and atmospheric conditions.
Forensic Evidence Available
GPS devices can be a very good source of forensic evidence. The GPS Coordinates stored on a device can be accurate to within several feet, and some devices store long histories of where they have been. Other devices transmit the location information in almost real-time to some other cloud-based computer system. Knowing which devices collect and store data, those that only transmit data, and those that do both is important to know if you wish to find the available GPS Evidence.
The science of GPS forensics is the systematic collection, preservation, investigation, and analysis of GPS devices for GPS evidence. GPS data is used by Law Enforcement to determine whether or not a person was near the scene of a crime or not. In civil cases it can be used to determine a person's location and how much time they spent at a given location. This type of evidence is important in Dram Shop cases, Family Law custody cases, and others. It has also been used in Commercial Motor Vehicle cases to determine if a Commercial Driver's License holder was actively driving when sending and receiving calls, text messages, Facebook Messenger messages, Whatsapp messages, Snapchats, Tiktoks, and much more.
GPS location information can also be embedded in photos, video, and other types of media. The location where a photo or video was taken can also be key evidence in criminal and civil cases. Some devices also embed a GPS Date and Time which may differ from the date and time of the device taking the photo. The date and time stamp received by a GPS device are very accurate. This allows an investigator to get a much more accurate time stamp of when a photo or video was taken.
In summary, GPS devices are quietly collecting data about the device's location on the planet or in the air. It's crucial to find an expert who knows the ins and outs of GPS devices as well as the data they can provide. Knowing where to look for the data and then mapping the data can be critical in many cases.
Each manufacturer is different and each device has different capabilities. Some devices are also speaker phones linked by Blue Tooth technology to cell phones. Some or all of the following information may be retrieved from GPS devices:
- Location Tracking Logs
- Waypoints
- Routes
- Stored Locations: Home, Office, Favorites, etc
- Recent Addresses Visited
- And More!
