EYES IN THE SKY SPOT POT

Satellite Imagery May Uncover Hidden Marijuana Plantations

Space will be the final frontier for busting marijuana grow operations
in Canada now that police researchers are backing satellite technology
that can uncover hidden cannabis plantations.

While RCMP weren't hot about the idea a few years ago, a study just
completed by the Canadian Police Research Centre shows that police
forces would be crazy not to use the technology, if they can afford it.

Staff Sgt. Brian Thiessen, who led the recent study in British
Columbia, said he was initially told not to bother with the research
since it had already been attempted and failed.

Using satellite and airborne imagery in the summer of 2006, police
researchers were able to find three outdoor grow-ops for every one
located with existing detection techniques.

Researchers learned they can easily differentiate the reflection
patterns of marijuana from other vegetation, which could be concealing
the illegal plants.

IMPROVES ON STUDY

The finding improves on the previous study, which suggested satellite
imagery couldn't distinguish between cannabis and other vegetation.

Thiessen said his research team found factual errors with the previous
study.

The Canadian Police Research Centre partnered with the RCMP,
Abbotsford police in B.C. and Titan Analysis Ltd. in the project.

Police researchers are carrying out further studies to determine how
soon in a marijuana plant's growth that the satellite can detect it.

A common current approach to finding outdoor grow-ops involves police
using air support to spot the plantations from above.

Each year in the National Capital Region, aerial patrols help officers
on the ground locate the grow-ops. During a six-week campaign in the
Ottawa area last summer and fall, police found nearly 40,000 marijuana
plants.

Using high-resolution satellite imagery, researchers can now read a
"spectral signature" from a marijuana plant and distinguish it from
signatures of other plants.

Spying on drug operations using satellites isn't entirely new.

MASSIVE OPERATIONS

According to the police research centre, the United Nations uses the
technique to monitor massive operations around the world, including in
Afghanistan, Morocco, Myanmar, Laos, Peru, Colombia and Bolivia.

Thiessen said satellite photographs might not come cheap for Canadian
police forces. It's likely that the services would compare the cost of
their existing detection methods against the hi-tech option, he said.

Now that researchers have shown satellites can help locate grow-ops,
they're studying other time-saving ways to help police find marijuana
plantations.

Thiessen said researchers are also working on a project that will help
police determine where marijuana can be grown geographically, thereby
narrowing search patterns for the plant.