Geolocation confirms where an image was captured by matching visible features to maps and imagery.
Overview
- Purpose: confirm the real-world location of media.
- Objective: produce coordinates and an annotated comparison.
- Difficulty: Intermediate.
Step 1 — Inventory the clues
List everything visible: signage and language, architecture, terrain, vegetation, sun position, vehicles, and license plates.
Step 2 — Establish a region
Use language, flags, and architectural style to narrow to a country or region before searching in detail.
Step 3 — Search maps and imagery
Use Google Earth and street-level imagery to find matching landmarks. Work from the most distinctive feature.
Step 4 — Confirm the match
Line up multiple independent features (a building and a road curve and a sign). One match is a hypothesis; several is confirmation.
Step 5 — Chronolocate (optional)
Use shadows, weather, and visible events to estimate when the media was captured.
Step 6 — Document
Produce an annotated side-by-side comparison and record coordinates in your evidence log.
Common mistakes
- Confirming location from a single, common feature
- Ignoring that landmarks change over time
- Skipping documentation of the reasoning
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