Since 2014 In the case of the disappearance of 43 Ayotzinapa Regularists in Mexico, Mr. Silvan and other Centrogeo experts were included on the scientific advisory committee for the case. While searching for students, various private organizations and government brigades discovered dozens of illegal graves. Within 10 months, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office counted 60 sites and 129 bodies in Guerrero state. The raid uncovered 300 illegal graves. Since then, the number of secret tombs has only increased.
No one expected the magnitude of this fear. The report “Searching Between Pain and Hope: Discovering Secret Graves in Mexico 2020-2022” found that 1,134 secret graves were registered in the past two years, containing 2,314 bodies and 2,242 remains. This is revealed by hemerography data. Proportionally, Colima region reported the highest rate of illegal graves, at 10 per 100,000 inhabitants. Sonora, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Sinaloa and Zacatecas followed.
Guanajuato, Sonora, and Guerrero stand out in terms of number of infections. These three entities account for 42% of the records. A journalistic investigation by Quint Element Lab reported that by April 2023, the number of illegal burials will reach 5,696 secret graves, more than half of which were discovered under the current federal regime.
José Luis Silvan leverages his field of research in remote sensing, using images taken by satellites, drones, and airplanes, from which he uses his knowledge of photophysics, mathematics, and programming to extract geospatial information. Masu. Multispectral and hyperspectral imagery captures subsurface information using sensors that record wavelengths of light that are imperceptible to the human eye, helping in searches.
In 2016, an initial study by CentroGeo researchers evaluated the feasibility of using hyperspectral cameras in searches and simulated pig carcass burials to learn what information from the sensors would be useful. I did it. Mexican researchers have learned from studies in other countries that the success of detection with these techniques depends, in part, on being able to recognize how carcasses (and their spectral images) change in different soils and climates. I knew that.
The experiment was carried out on rented land in the state of Morelos. They buried seven animals there and evaluated the light reflected from the soil at different wavelengths for six months. The researchers concluded that hyperspectral cameras, which provide more than 100 layers of data, have the potential to detect secret burials, but the technology is only effective for three months after burial. They tried to arrange the acquisition of cameras and drones (worth P5 million) through the National Search Committee, but were unsuccessful.
(Tag translation) Mexico
