Is there a way to find ISIS beheading location via science?

[repoman]

i am not just talking about satellites, planes or files of old pictures run through a computer looking to match the terrain - though that would help.

What i am talking about is a sundial effect to see how the shadows move versus time. By now they are getting a good sample size of footage that each has a day associated with it. Can a good guess of latitude by gotten out of the data to limit the terrain search?

 

[beero1000]

i am not just talking about satellites, planes or files of old pictures run through a computer looking to match the terrain - though that would help.

What i am talking about is a sundial effect to see how the shadows move versus time. By now they are getting a good sample size of footage that each has a day associated with it. Can a good guess of latitude by gotten out of the data to limit the terrain search?

Probably. You could do it if you determined the angle of the sun at a known time. Figuring out the time is the hard part - the closer to noon, the better.

 

[untermensche]

i am not just talking about satellites, planes or files of old pictures run through a computer looking to match the terrain - though that would help.

What i am talking about is a sundial effect to see how the shadows move versus time. By now they are getting a good sample size of footage that each has a day associated with it. Can a good guess of latitude by gotten out of the data to limit the terrain search?

To even begin you would have to know the exact time of day the footage was shot.

 

[rjh01]

i am not just talking about satellites, planes or files of old pictures run through a computer looking to match the terrain - though that would help.

What i am talking about is a sundial effect to see how the shadows move versus time. By now they are getting a good sample size of footage that each has a day associated with it. Can a good guess of latitude by gotten out of the data to limit the terrain search?

To even begin you would have to know the exact time of day the footage was shot.

Or true north. Then you could find the time and thus location. Though finding true north would be hard.

 

[barbos]

i am not just talking about satellites, planes or files of old pictures run through a computer looking to match the terrain - though that would help.

What i am talking about is a sundial effect to see how the shadows move versus time. By now they are getting a good sample size of footage that each has a day associated with it. Can a good guess of latitude by gotten out of the data to limit the terrain search?

May I ask what for?

 

[repoman]

To do a rescue. What else?

 

[barbos]

To do a rescue. What else?

I have to admit I have not thought about that.
Do you think they have a bunch of westernes being held in the same location and executed from time to time?
I am no FBI or anything but I think it's pretty hopeless.
As for original question then analyzing shadows will not get you closer than "Somewhere in the Middle East"

 

[repoman]

I do wonder if there is some digital signature that has the time stamp locked into the footage (like EXIF data) that only the NSA or similar knows about. Wouldn't be surprised. They wouldn't reveal it though. Not trying to be tin-foily.

Maybe it would be some form of government mandated steganography coming from the firmware of the camera.

But even if it was in the footage, it would be hard to survive the transcoding into the format it is uploaded as.

 

[bilby]

Rescue?



Someone has been watching too many movies.

The logistics of getting a rescue team in to the area (assuming you can pinpoint it in the first place) are almost impossible. Getting intel that gives you a decent chance of knowing when there are prisoners on-site, how many there are, and how well guarded? Also practically impossible. Achieving anything once your team arrives, that doesn't involve the death or capture of most of the rescue team (and of those they are supposed to rescue) is an order of magnitude harder still. Getting your rescue team back out to a safe location, with a bunch of disoriented and terrified ex-prisoners who have no training, no expectations of rescue, and who may require medical attention?

Not. Gonna. Happen.

Unless you have a hotline to Superman's fortress of solitude and were planning to get the man of steel to do the job.

 

[barbos]

Other than paying ransom, there is only one very slim chance of saving these particular people - massive ground invasion of western armies.
Of course paying ransom will only increase number of western hostages, so it's not really a solution.

 

[bilby]

Other than paying ransom, there is only one very slim chance of saving these particular people - massive ground invasion of western armies.
Of course paying ransom will only increase number of western hostages, so it's not really a solution.

And of course a massive ground invasion by western armies would, at best, be killing tens of thousands of people, to get a VERY slim chance of saving, at most, dozens. So it's not really a solution either.

 

[Perspicuo]

The only way to stop the beheadings is destroy ISIS, not through Western forces but by Western military powers supporting regional governments to do that job. That way, you reinforce central governments to become strong (see S.Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature^(LINKY)) and at the same time subtract the justifications for their "We're battling the Western Crusaders" argument.

 

[bilby]

The only way to stop the beheadings is destroy ISIS, not through Western forces but by Western military powers supporting regional governments to do that job. That way, you reinforce central governments to become strong (see S.Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature^(LINKY)) and at the same time subtract the justifications for their "We're battling the Western Crusaders" argument.

Or we could send in Tony Stark wearing a really cool powered exoskeleton. But first we need to triangulate the beheadings using shadow directions from the footage released by ISIS; which is a similarly feasible feat.

 

[barbos]

Other than paying ransom, there is only one very slim chance of saving these particular people - massive ground invasion of western armies.
Of course paying ransom will only increase number of western hostages, so it's not really a solution.

And of course a massive ground invasion by western armies would, at best, be killing tens of thousands of people, to get a VERY slim chance of saving, at most, dozens. So it's not really a solution either.

Well, these people are being killed by ISIS right now anyway.
If only there was a bullet proof method to determine who is ISIS and who is not in that mess.

 

[Perspicuo]

The only way to stop the beheadings is destroy ISIS, not through Western forces but by Western military powers supporting regional governments to do that job. That way, you reinforce central governments to become strong (see S.Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature^(LINKY)) and at the same time subtract the justifications for their "We're battling the Western Crusaders" argument.

Or we could send in Tony Stark wearing a really cool powered exoskeleton. But first we need to triangulate the beheadings using shadow directions from the footage released by ISIS; which is a similarly feasible feat.

Believe me, I've reviewed that and other Marvel- and Lucasfilm-approvable options in my head all the time LOL

 

[J842P]

The only way to stop the beheadings is destroy ISIS, not through Western forces but by Western military powers supporting regional governments to do that job. That way, you reinforce central governments to become strong (see S.Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature^(LINKY)) and at the same time subtract the justifications for their "We're battling the Western Crusaders" argument.

Yes. Instead they will be battling Western puppets.

 

[rjh01]

If you want to get rid of ISIS you need to stop them getting money, materials and support. That can be difficult especially as friendly governments are corrupt.

 

[repoman]

I think my OP is moot because it thought the backdrop footage is green screen according to news websites. Oh well.

 

[Kosh]

i am not just talking about satellites, planes or files of old pictures run through a computer looking to match the terrain - though that would help.

What i am talking about is a sundial effect to see how the shadows move versus time. By now they are getting a good sample size of footage that each has a day associated with it. Can a good guess of latitude by gotten out of the data to limit the terrain search?

I don't think you'd need/use shadows.

If you have topographical data for the area, then you should be able to use the background terrain to calculate the topo data for that location, then compare it to every other location in the world.

Ie, there is only one location where the topo data can translate into the hills,etc that you are seeing. The trick is finding it. Would be a massive search/compare algorithm akin to solving an encryption algorithm. And it's not just a "look at every point in the mideast" thing... you'd have to look at every point and calculate for a full 360 degrees, and also somehow fudge in camera angle.

Could probably be done, would take a lot of time on a supercomputer.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

The only way to stop the beheadings is destroy ISIS, not through Western forces but by Western military powers supporting regional governments to do that job. That way, you reinforce central governments to become strong (see S.Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature^(LINKY)) and at the same time subtract the justifications for their "We're battling the Western Crusaders" argument.

Yes. Instead they will be battling Western puppets.

Actually, the Iron Man suit is referred to as a powered exoskeleton, not a puppet, even though there's a man inside manipulating it.