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Our Search Technology

THE TOOLS WE USE TO
BRING PEOPLE HOME

Every search combines investigation and field work. Phone and tower data tell us where to look. Drones photograph the ground. Detection software screens every image. Ground teams and K9 check what it finds. Here is the equipment behind each step, and how it helps.

In the Field

  • DJI Matrice M30T and 4T thermal drones
  • Eagle Eyes Mirada detection software
  • ADIAT automated image analysis
  • Search K9 teams
  • Cell phone, tower and device forensics
  • FAA Part 107 certified pilot

DJI MATRICE M30T AND 4T

We fly DJI Matrice M30T and Matrice 4T enterprise drones, built for public safety work. They can be programmed to fly organized grid patterns over a set search area, capturing hundreds or thousands of high-resolution images in one mission.

That gives us a detailed record of terrain that is hard or dangerous to check on foot: ravines, dense brush, steep slopes and creek beds. Thermal cameras add a second view, picking up body heat through gaps in the canopy and in total darkness.

On the Amy Hillyard search in Oakland, we flew the Matrice 4T over the trails her phone showed she had looked up before she disappeared.

  • Grid coverage: Every part of the search area is photographed, so nothing is skipped
  • Thermal: Detects body heat at night and through vegetation
  • Zoom: Checks a target from a safe distance before a team goes in
  • A record: Every image is kept, so an area can be reviewed again later

More about our drone program →

DJI Matrice search and rescue drone
Detection Software

EAGLE EYES MIRADA AND ADIAT

A single flight can produce thousands of photos. No one can study every one by eye, so software screens them first.

Eagle Eyes Mirada scans large image sets quickly and highlights what may otherwise be missed: unusual colors, shapes, patterns and other anomalies. ADIAT (Automated Drone Image Analysis) screens images for heat signatures and color, and Steve is certified in it.

The software does not decide anything. Our searchers review every detection in context and decide whether it needs a closer look or a ground check.

In this example from a real search, Eagle Eyes Mirada flagged a small blue object hidden in brush. In the full frame it is a few pixels. Zoomed in, it is clearly worth sending a team to check.

Drone photo of brush with a detection circled in red
The full drone frame, with the detection circled.
Zoomed view of a blue object hidden in brush
The same spot, zoomed in.
How It Works

FROM THE LAST PING TO THE SEARCH LINE

1

START WITH THE EVIDENCE

Phone data, cell towers, app history and camera footage show where the person really went.

2

FLY THE GRID

The drone photographs each search area systematically, in daylight or with thermal at night.

3

SCREEN EVERY FRAME

Eagle Eyes Mirada and ADIAT flag anything unusual. A searcher reviews every flag.

4

CHECK ON THE GROUND

Ground teams and K9 check each flag, working alongside law enforcement.

K9 TEAMS AND DIGITAL FORENSICS

Search dogs cover ground a drone can't see into: thick cover, structures and areas under tree canopy. They follow scent where there is nothing to photograph.

Digital forensics is often where a search starts. Cell phone and tower records, app history and device reviews show where someone went before they disappeared, which turns a whole city into a short list of places to search.

How K9 search dogs find missing persons →

SEARCH Investigations search and rescue team
What We're Adding

EQUIPMENT PARTNERS

Water is the hardest place to search. We are building out side-scan sonar that runs from an inflatable boat, along with satellite messengers so every searcher is tracked and in contact off grid. If your company makes gear that helps find missing people, we would like to hear from you.

Partner With Us
Read More

HOW THIS TECHNOLOGY FINDS PEOPLE

SOMEONE YOU LOVE IS MISSING?
CALL NOW.

We can typically deploy within hours. Call for a free consultation.

877-619-9890
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