Geotechnology to Assist in Gunshot Cases

The D.C. Examiner has a short article on the Shotspotter system. The system uses acoustic technology combined with GPS to locate where guns are fired, how many shots, and the type of gun used.

The technology is in the news because it will probably be called into evidence to help convict an accused murderer in Washington D.C. According to the Examiner, "[I]n the 17 months since, the system has been used to recover 10 weapons and make eight arrests.” According to the official website Shotspotter is protecting 90 square miles in 28 cities equaling a total of 584,433 people. The website also has links to news stories, news videos, and informational videos on how the technology works and its successes.

Computer games first exposed geotechnology like this to me. I remember thinking how useful things like this would be protecting citizens. With geotechnology aiding the War on Terrorism hopefully tools like ShotSpotter can keep civilians and soldiers safe.