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Imagery Intelligence

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Essay
Civilian Casualties: Lessons from the Battle for Raqqa
The United States' emphasis on minimizing civilian harm in Raqqa, Syria, was quite clear and strong up and down the chain of command. But the way in which the U.S. military waged war in Raqqa too often undercut that commitment. The Pentagon asked RAND to find out what happened.
Jul 1, 2022
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

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Report
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Resources: Financial Management Programming Evaluation
The authors examined how the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has programmed its resources, focusing on the reasons for changes over time and the results of the changes.
Jun 8, 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
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
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
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

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RAND Topic:
Imagery Intelligence

Topic Synonyms:
IMINT;
Photographic Intelligence

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Edmund J. Burke

Senior International Defense Researcher

Ed Burke (he/him) is a senior international defense researcher at RAND. Burke’s work at RAND focuses primarily on military and security issues in East Asia including vulnerability methodologies and assessments, regional security competition in the military and information domains, and Chinese…
Bart E. Bennett

Senior Operations Researcher

Bart Bennett is a senior operations researcher at the RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. With 38 years of experience performing policy-oriented analyses, he has led and conducted research in such diverse areas as military manpower, advanced technology, education…

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