What should humanitarians know about imagery and remote sensing in the search for missing persons? What tools are available to survey unmarked graves containing human remains?
To mark the International Day of the Disappeared, we have organized a specialist talk to discuss how remote sensing technologies are changing forensic work in the search for missing persons. With experts from the humanitarian sector, academia and research, we will be discussing what the most important changes are, what activities they are making more feasible – and what considerations people need to keep in mind when determining which tools can best support their work.
The discussion is part of the August thematic path – Clarifying the fate of the missing in the digital age.
The series
The Digital Dilemmas Debates are a series of roundtable discussions between prominent experts and stakeholders from different sectors about the humanitarian digital transformation, its implications and the work ahead. Each month, they will explore a different type or trend in the technologies used to respond to various types of crisis, and offer reflections on what is coming next.
The Digital Dilemmas Debates are a component of the DigitHarium, which is part of the Humanitarian Data and Trust Initiative (HDTI).
Let us know what you thought of the event!
Additional resources
[VIDEO] Using drones in the search for the missing | The Laws of War (01:11)
Missing People, DNA Analysis and Identification of Human Remains: A Guide to Best Practice in Armed Conflicts and Other Situations of Armed Violence (available in EN, FR, PO, ES, RU, AR)
Respect for the dead under Islamic law: Considerations for humanitarian forensics (21 min read) by Ahmed Al-Dawoody
COVID-19 and Islamic burial laws: safeguarding dignity of the dead (16 min read) by Ahmed Al-Dawoody and Oran Finegan