GIS Utilized in Law

There are many uses for GIS.  Although they all revolve around the same system, they can be totally different.  I recently discovered an unusual industry taking advantage GIS.  Attorneys are using GIS to help with their law cases.  With one example I found on the JurisPro Expert Witness Directory, GIS helped determine remediation in quality of groundwater.  The article Hydrology Expert Witnesses & GIS gives further example of how GIS helps monitor groundwater pumping and land subsidence or intrusion in coastal areas.

An additional resource for GIS in law was a link I found on the Remote Sensing and Geospatial Data Used as Evidence in Court post through GeoData Policy.  This document is a list of case law from Crowsey Inc.  Some of the interesting cases documented include:

• Privacy Laws Pertaining to Aerial-Photography and Remote Sensing
• Aerial Photography to Prove Deterioration Marsh Land
• GIS in City Council Districting
• Satellite Photos Used to Determine Location of a Barge Accident
• GIS Identified a Drug-Free Buffer Zone Around Schools

All of this goes to show that no matter what industry that you may be in, GIS can be used to not only benefit a company but provide evidence in a court of law.  Although these examples show pieces of evidence that are pulled from every day GIS work , it also gives and interesting career idea.

Combining GIS and Law make for an exciting career adventure.  Who would have of thought?

Related Books

GIS in Law Enforcement: Implementation Issues and Case Studies

Crime Analysis and Crime Mapping

Introduction to Crime Analysis: Basic Resources for Criminal Justice Practice