On the Detectability of Buried Remains with Hyperspectral Measurements

In this study we tested some methods for detecting clandestine graves using hyperspectral remote sensing technology. Specifically, we addressed three research questions: What is the true potential of hyperspectral images for detecting buried remains? What is the useful information in hyperspectral images for detecting buried remains? When they should be acquired following a burial? For this matter, we simulated seven graves with varying number of carcasses of domestic pigs and monitored the spectral reflectance of the surface during a period of six months. A total of twelve hyperspectral images were formed and analyzed using standard pattern recognition methods. Results indicated that hyperspectral data can indeed have a true potential for detecting buried remains, but the detection can succeed only after three months from burial, and the useful wavelength intervals are mainly distributed along the spectral range of 700–1800 nm and with several narrow intervals that could not have been discovered using multispectral sensors.