Cellular Triangulation

Call Detail Records (CDR):

When obtaining records from a wireless carrier, it is very important to first submit a preservation letter prior to developing your case. Before moving forward in any case, call us and we will provide you with the necessary verbiage to successfully retain the appropriate subpoena and court order.

CDR's vary with each carrier but they all contain data which will assist in any investigation. CDR's contain relevant data such as call date/time activity, length of calls, length of SMS messages, originating call cell sites and terminating call cell sites.

The most important data in most cases is the CDR with tower information. The tower information is commonly overlooked by investigators and attorneys.

Most CDR data is self explanatory but carriers report the the Tower and Sector information differently. The key to remember when reviewing CDR records is to identify sector orientation, anomalies, patterns of use and other subscriber data which may be relevant. In addition, since sectors are not positioned the same direction in degrees, environmental surveys may also be keys to a successful case.As part of a certified review process, an in-field environmental survey may be necessary to plot a relevant tower.

Mapping:

Once the CDR and tower information is obtained, mapping diagrams are produced related to specified call activity. In the below example, cellular reconstruction can actually denote a direction of travel or movement based on call patterns and sector activity.

Training:

Basic Concepts of Radio and Cellular Technology (BCCT) is a law enforcement, investigator's and technical litigator's training course dealing with the comprehensive technical understanding of radio and cellular technology as it relates to investigative, technical support, search and rescue, missing persons operations and criminal/civil litigation cases. This course is designed to provide “the beginner” with sufficient hands-on, practical use instruction dealing with cellular technology concepts, networks, legal principles, mapping / isolation techniques, and environmental anomalies.; Additional topics related to new and emerging technologies such as Blackberry, iPhone and handheld forensics will be taught in this course. At the completion of this thirty-two (32) hour course each student should be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of the key elements of instruction as well as an ability to safely and functionally incorporate the techniques learned into the student’s expected outcome.

Our certified program requires at least one written examination and one practical exercise.