Investigating the Impact of Global Positioning System Evidence

TL;DR

This study examines the increasing use of GPS evidence in UK court cases over two decades, highlighting its growing importance in criminal and civil legal proceedings.

Contribution

It provides an empirical analysis of GPS evidence usage in UK and European court cases from 1993 to 2013, revealing trends and legal relevance.

Findings

GPS evidence usage is increasing over time.

Most GPS-related cases are criminal.

GPS evidence plays an important role in digital forensics.

Abstract

The continued amalgamation of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) into everyday activities stimulates the idea that these devices will increasingly contribute evidential importance in digital forensics cases. This study investigates the extent to which GPS devices are being used in criminal and civil court cases in the United Kingdom through the inspection of Lexis Nexis, Westlaw, and the British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII) legal databases. The research identified 83 cases which involved GPS evidence from within the United Kingdom and Europe for the time period from 01 June 1993 to 01 June 2013. The initial empirical analysis indicates that GPS evidence in court cases is rising over time and the majority of those court cases are criminal cases.