Forensics and Security Research Group Forensics and Security UCD and SETU research group

Inproceedings

Objects as Universal Geolocation Cues: A Computer Vision Approach

Kanwal Aftab; Mark Scanlon

March 2026 13th Annual Digital Forensics Research Workshop Europe (DFRWS EU 2026)
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Contribution Summary

The authors present a three-stage pipeline for indoor geolocation using electrical plug sockets as universal visual cues. The approach involves socket detection, socket type classification, and geolocation. The method is evaluated on a dataset of hotel images and achieves high accuracy in geolocation. The proposed approach has the potential to assist law enforcement in identifying potential trafficking hotspots and combating crimes such as human trafficking and child exploitation.

Keywords: Computer Vision; Geolocation; Electrical Plug Sockets; Indoor Geolocation; Human Trafficking; Child Exploitation; Digital Forensics; Crime Investigation

BibTeX

@INPROCEEDINGS{aftab2026ObjectsAsUniversalGeolocationCues,
	author={Aftab, Kanwal and Scanlon, Mark},
	title="{Objects as Universal Geolocation Cues: A Computer Vision Approach}",
	booktitle={13th Annual Digital Forensics Research Workshop Europe (DFRWS EU 2026)},
	year=2026,
	month=03,
	keywords = "Multimedia Geolocation, Indoor Geolocation, Computer Vision"
}