Stop Sitting in the Car: Why Geolocation is the New Surveillance Standard
In the world of investigations, physical surveillance is often the most expensive line item on the invoice—and the biggest gamble.
We have all seen the reports: "Investigator arrived at 0600. Subject’s vehicle present. No movement observed. Investigator departed at 1400."
That is eight hours of billable time for a photo of a parked car.
For defense attorneys and claims administrators, this "blind surveillance" is a drain on the budget. For investigators, it is a waste of skilled labor. The old method of guessing when a subject might be active is obsolete.
The modern approach isn't about working harder; it's about knowing when to work.
The Shift to "Pattern of Life" Analysis
Before we ever deploy a field agent to a location, we recommend attempting to obtain a Geolocation Pattern of Life Analysis .
This process utilizes proprietary datasets to analyze the historical movement patterns of a subject’s digital devices. By aggregating this data, we don't just see where a subject is; we see where they go, how often they go there, and the specific routines that define their life.
We aren't looking for a single ping. We are looking for the routine.
Does the subject consistently leave the house every Tuesday at 9:00 AM?
Do they visit a specific gym or medical facility on Thursdays?
Is there a "critical anomaly" in their routine that suggests unreported employment or activity?.
From "Stakeout" to Surgical Strike
Once we establish the Pattern of Life, physical surveillance transforms from a guessing game into a targeted operation.
Instead of paying an investigator to sit in a car for three days hoping for movement, you deploy them specifically during the windows of high probability identified by the data .
If the data shows the subject is sedentary 90% of the week but active on Friday afternoons, that is when we send the team. This "persistent intelligence" approach drastically reduces the hours billed while significantly increasing the "yield" of usable video evidence.
Better ROI, Better Evidence
This methodology does two things for your case:
It Preserves Budget: You stop paying for "dead time."
It Increases Success: You are far more likely to capture the activity you need (lifting, bending, working) when you know the subject’s habits beforehand.
Surveillance will always require a human eye to capture the final evidence. But in 2025, you shouldn't be paying for that eye to watch an empty driveway. Let the data tell you when to watch.