Law Enforcement Turns to NASA's Video-imaging Technology

November 17, 2005

Two members of NASA have turned their eyes from the skies and towards law enforcement cases. From homeland security threats to child abductions, a video-enhancement system developed by NASA is proving to be a valuable law-enforcement tool.

The most recent cases in the news involving the joint efforts of police and NASA were the Space Shuttle Columbia accident investigation and the abduction in Sarasota, Florida, of 11-year-old Carlie Brucia at a car wash.

David Hathaway and Paul Meyer, scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, used their expertise and equipment for analyzing satellite video images of space to create a crime fighting tool called Video Image Stabilization and Registration (VISAR). It converts dark, jumpy images captured by security cameras, video cameras, and even police car cameras into clear, stable images that can hopefully reveal more clues about a crime.

Initial video of Brucia's abductor showed that he had tattoos on both of his forearms, but the picture was not clear enough to tell exactly what those tattoos were, according to Mjr. Kevin Gooding of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Department. That is when the NASA team stepped in.

On Thursday, a jury in Sarasota found Jospeh Smith, 39, guilty in the kidnapping, raping, and strangling of Brucia. The video footage from the car wash played a large part in the prosecutors' case.

VISAR was first used by law enforcement after the 1996 bombing at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta that killed two and injured hundreds more. The FBI had obtained a homemade video of the bombing, but the tape was taken by a handheld recorder at night and was of poor quality. The Southeast Bomb Task Force of the FBI asked if anyone at NASA could help improve the video's clarity.

Hathaway and Meyer stepped up to the plate. Meyer's job at NASA is to process weather satellite images and Hathaway's job is to use video stabilization techniques to enhance pictures of the sun. The two felt that they could use similar NASA technology to assist the FBI in their case. The scientists had little more than 13 seconds worth of bombing tape to work with -- about 400 frames. After a long process of trial and error, they were eventually able to stabilize, sharpen, and brighten the images. NASA said the results revealed important details about the bomb and the explosion.

"At NASA, we routinely take satellite images of storm clouds and enhance them to see what is going on in the atmosphere," Meyer said. "Looking for clues about what is happening in a storm is similar to being a detective and finding out what took place at a crime scene."

Hathaway also helped enhance security camera videotape made during the kidnapping of a Minnesota teenager. In an intensive effort, the FBI and police worked with Hathaway to identify the abductor and try to find the teenager. Her killer has since been tried and convicted. The video was key evidence used in his capture.

Hathaway and Meyer's efforts in correcting the FBI video surpassed existing image-correction technology. The video correction methods currently in use could not compensate for the effects of zoom or tilt, as Hathaway and Meyer did. By steadying and reducing the noise in the images, they brought out a wealth of information, revealing new, previously obscured details.

VISAR was used to enhance launch images of the Columbia space shuttle, allowing NASA engineers to see a chunk of foam insulation fall from the shuttle's fuel tank and hit the spacecraft's  wing. The foam insulation was later blamed for the disintegration of the Columbia over Texas on February 1, 2003, killing seven astronauts.

Intergraph Government Solutions of Huntsville, Alabama, has a licensing agreement with NASA for the use of the VISAR technology. The company has installed VISAR in its Video Analyst System, which features broadcast-quality video editing and enhancement for law enforcement and security companies.

Criminal Investigations by NASA, using VISAR

1996, GA: Olympic Park Bombing

1998, TN: Mike Bell Murder

1999, MN: Katie Poirier Abduction

2000, CA: Russian Mafia Gold Heist

2002, UT: Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping

2002, NV: Convenience Store Robbery

2004. FL: Carlie Brucia Abduction

© 2005 Law & Order.
© 2005 Sci-Tech Today.