REFLECTIVE SPECTROSCOPY OF HUMAN MATERIALS, GEOLOGIC MATERIALS, AND A REVIEW OF GEOLOGIC SETTINGS: A NEW INVESTIGATIVE APPROACH TO INVESTIGATE VIOLENT TERRORIST ACTIVITIES

Violence associated with terrorism of a variety of scales occurs in geologic environments. Genocide, murder, kidnapping, human trafficking, sexual violence, and drug activities all occur in geologic environments. When such crimes occur remotely they are difficult to detect using traditional observation and investigative techniques. Furthermore such events are often remotely located from personnel interested in preventing such violence such as UN peacekeepers and military forces charged with monitoring and preventing violence, refugee workers, and the World Health Organization. One method of detecting a violent crime remotely at large scale, and closer to in real time, is to use hyperspectral imagery from unmanned air vehicles or satellites, provided that an adequate library of spectra exist of objects likely to be found in the scene. Hand held laboratory instruments using the same data should also enable investigation of recovered items as well. Here an update is provided on content of an extensive library that is being developed broadly for violent crime investigation with reflective spectra (350 to 2500 nm) of 100 humans, 307 clothing items, and over 60 geologic materials among other materials. Clothing, human skin and human blood are the most important materials classes for detection of humans in the environment in general, and are moderately distinct to very highly distinct from a variety of common geologic substrates (e.g. igneous rocks, siliciclastic rocks, carbonates, sands and sandy soils). A preliminary review of the geology of regions where major kidnapping terrorist activities commonly occur; such as areas formerly held by ISIS, regions held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, and regions held by Boko Haram in northwestern Nigeria, indicates that the hyperspectral library should be of high utility in locating persons using clothing, human skin and human blood spectra. Similarly many areas in the regions should be distinct for detection of large amounts of blood. The library shows high promise and areas identified for improvement include (1) geologic materials in combination with vehicle surfaces, and human blood (2) more extensive blood, geologic materials and clothing combinations and (3) more extensive work establishing age relationships of items under appropriate environmental conditions.