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Imagery Intelligence

News Release

Efforts to Avoid Civilian Casualties in Raqqa, Syria, in 2017 Were Considerable but Insufficient

U.S. strategic choices in the battle to liberate Raqqa, Syria, from ISIS in 2017 likely increased civilian harm despite considerable efforts to avoid civilian casualties by both U.S. and coalition forces.

Mar 31, 2022
Report

Efforts to Avoid Civilian Casualties in Raqqa Were Considerable but Insufficient

The 2017 battle to liberate Raqqa, Syria, from ISIS is a cautionary tale in 21st-century conflicts. U.S. strategic choices likely increased civilian harm despite considerable efforts to avoid civilian casualties by both U.S. and coalition forces. What lessons can be applied to future operations?

Mar 31, 2022
Journal Article

Remote Sensing for Natural Disaster Recovery: Lessons Learned from Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico

We present how remote sensing data was incorporated into the assessment and planning process, focusing on the applications for Puerto Rico's natural resources in the months following the hurricanes.

Mar 23, 2022
Journal Article

Tracking the Relocation of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: A Nighttime Lighting Approach

This report uses nighttime lighting data to track the relocation of Rohingya refugees from the Cox's Bazaar region of Bangladesh to Bhasan Char, a 'floating island' in the Bay of Bengal built to house roughly 100,000 refugees.

Jan 14, 2022
Blog

The Most Popular RAND Research of 2021

As another extraordinary year draws to a close, we continue to believe that objective, nonpartisan research and analysis has a key role to play in navigating what continues to be a difficult time. Here are the 10 research projects that resonated most with rand.org readers in 2021.

Dec 22, 2021
Report

Evaluating Baltimore's Aerial Investigation Research Pilot Program: Interim Report

This report provides interim findings on the Aerial Investigation Research pilot program, a Baltimore Police Department program in which manned aircraft equipped with cameras gathered evidence to support crime investigations.

Jul 29, 2021
Blog

The Uyghurs, Getting the World Vaccinated, Policing in America: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on China's disappeared Uyghurs, how the United States can help get the rest of the world vaccinated, what's next for policing in America, and more.

May 7, 2021
Essay

China's Disappeared Uyghurs: What Satellite Images Reveal

At least one million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have vanished into a sprawling network of camps and prisons in China's far west. Satellite images show brightly lit compounds, wall after wall of barbed wire, and a sudden rush to build what appear to be fortified preschools.

Apr 29, 2021
Journal Article

Explaining Variation in the Growth and Decline of Detention Facilities Across Xinjiang

This report, the final in our series, explores trends in the growth and decline of nighttime lighting over detention facilities across Xinjiang.

Feb 26, 2021
Journal Article

Have Any of Xinjiang's Detention Facilities Closed?

This report, the second in a three-part series, employs a novel empirical approach to systematically assess the current operating status of known detention facilities in Xinjiang using nighttime lighting.

Feb 26, 2021
Journal Article

Investigating the Growth of Detention Facilities in Xinjiang Using Nighttime Lighting

This first report introduces our methodological approach and uses nighttime lighting data to investigate the rapid, coordinated growth of detention facilities in Xinjiang over the last decade.

Feb 26, 2021
Report

Aerial Investigation Research Pilot Was Associated with Small Improvements in Solving Crimes

A preliminary report about an effort to use aerial surveillance to aid police investigations in Baltimore finds that it was associated with small increases in the rate at which police solved serious crimes. Making conclusions about the overall effectiveness of the program will require an analysis of citywide crime and policing outcomes.

Jan 27, 2021
Journal Article

More "Boarding" Facilities Geolocated in Southern Xinjiang

We identified 21 preschools that house Uyghur children in Qira County, Xinjiang using satellite imagery. These facilities are part of Beijing's efforts to assimilate Uyghurs by erasing their culture to a Communist Party ideal that has been compared to genocide.

Jan 22, 2021
Journal Article

Empty Lots, Green Spaces, and a Parking Lot: What Happened to the Demolished Uyghur Cemeteries?

This methodology seeks to build upon previous research efforts and help other researchers understand the outcomes of Chinese policies related to Uyghur communities.

Jan 20, 2021
Journal Article

Geolocating Growth of Suspect "Boarding" Facilities in Xinjiang China

GEOINT analysis shows steady construction progress in both 2017 and 2019 of suspect facilities in southern Xinjiang.

Jul 14, 2020
Journal Article

Geolocating Explosive Growth in Preschools in Western China Due to 'Re-Education' Policies

Twenty facilities that imagery analysis, press and professional journals suggest house Uighur children have been identified in this first study of geolocating China's detention infrastructure targeting Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups.

May 1, 2020
Blog

Mert Davies: All-Star Pioneer of the Cosmos

Merton Davies spent his early years using satellite imagery to spy on terrestrial targets. His work led to the first successful reconnaissance satellite, Corona. Later, he used deep-space photographs to map the planets in our solar system.

Jan 5, 2018
Report

Motion Imagery Processing and Exploitation (MIPE)

Motion Imagery Processing and Exploitation (MIPE) systems aid analysts in the detection, identification, and tracking of objects of interest and activities of interest in live and archival video. This report defines and investigates the potential of MIPE systems, which can enable military intelligence analysts to respond to the current information deluge and exploit a wide range of motion imagery collections.

Dec 4, 2013
Report

The Future of Air Force Motion Imagery Exploitation: Lessons from the Commercial World

Commercial television production practices inspire an approach to managing exploitation of the Air Force's rapidly growing motion imagery collections.

Mar 6, 2012
Commentary

Why We Didn't Get the Picture

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Feb 1, 2004

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RAND Topic:
Imagery Intelligence

Topic Synonyms:
IMINT;
Photographic Intelligence