Blackthorn
Eastwind
TomTology

Blackthorn

 A countless number of people use GPS devices during the commission of a crime.  In some instances the devices are used as an instrumentality of the crime, while in others, they are merely present.  GPS ForensicsGenerally, the offenders are unaware that the device is autonomously collecting and logging positional data while the offense is being carried out. This information can be extremely valuable to law enforcement and intelligence personnel conducting investigations.  Evidentiary data can be gleaned from these devices to allow the recreation and tracing of the path taken before, during, and after a crime.  The benefit of traditional tracking technology has long been recognized by law enforcement and intelligence professionals.  The increasing consumer use of personal GPS devices now inherently offers investigators with much of the same data.

Blackthorn© is a GPS forensic analysis and exploitation software application designed to give law enforcement and intelligence professionals the tool they need when encountering GPS devices. Tightly integrated with MapPoint©, Blackthorn© extracts the content of a GPS devices internal memory and graphically displays the trackpoints, track logs, waypoints, and routes. The coupling of Blackthorn© and MapPoint© allows the application to run stand-alone, providing detailed maps of North American and Europe.

GPS Device ForensicsCritical to any investigator, analyst, or operator is the ability to clearly understand, explain, and present the discovered data.  Blackthorn© facilitates the extraction of data from GPS devices and provides the necessary tools to be able to annotate maps, highlight tracks and areas of interest, and export the data to Microsoft Excel© for import to other applications.

Berla Corporation has years of experience providing technical and analytical solutions, services, and training to the law enforcement and intelligence community. Berla Corp. designs products to support operators and analyst in both the tactical and strategic domains.  The innate ability to take “quick looks” of the data in the field can provide immediate and actionable intelligence while deeper, in-depth analysis can provide strategic insight across the domain and enterprise.

GPS forensics is in its infancy. As the proliferation of GPS devices continue throughout the world, increased opportunities will become available to collect evidence and intelligence data from more and more devices whether they be portable or imbedded.  The significance of this data goes beyond intelligence and criminal investigations and can impact search and rescue operations, accident investigations, and civil litigation to name a few. For a full product description and capabilities list please contact us.