OSINT Geospatial Intelligence & Mapping 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which file format stores both vector geometry and attribute data in a single compressed file and is commonly used in GIS web applications?
- GeoJSON
- GeoPackage (Correct answer)
- Shapefile
- KML
Correct answer: GeoPackage
GeoPackage (GPKG) is an open, standards-based format that stores vector, raster, and attribute data in a single SQLite database file.
Question 2: An OSINT analyst notices a building's shadow in a satellite image and wants to estimate the building's height. Which additional data is required?
- The building's GPS coordinates
- The sun's elevation angle at the time of capture (Correct answer)
- The satellite's orbital altitude
- The local population density
Correct answer: The sun's elevation angle at the time of capture
Shadow length combined with the sun's elevation angle (and azimuth) allows calculation of an object's height using basic trigonometry.
Question 3: What does the term 'spatial resolution' refer to in satellite imagery?
- The number of spectral bands captured
- The smallest ground feature that can be distinguished in an image (Correct answer)
- The frequency of satellite passes over a location
- The geographic area covered by a single image
Correct answer: The smallest ground feature that can be distinguished in an image
Spatial resolution describes the smallest discernible ground feature, typically expressed in meters per pixel (e.g., 30cm resolution means each pixel represents 30cm of ground).
Question 4: Which coordinate reference system uses a series of numbered zones, each 6 degrees wide in longitude, and is widely used by the US military?
- WGS84 Geographic
- UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) (Correct answer)
- MGRS
- Lambert Conformal Conic
Correct answer: UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator)
UTM divides the Earth into 60 zones of 6° longitude each and provides metric coordinates, making distance calculations straightforward.
Question 5: An analyst uses Sentinel Hub to access multispectral satellite imagery. Which index is most useful for detecting active fires and burn scars?
- NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index)
- NDWI (Normalized Difference Water Index)
- NBR (Normalized Burn Ratio) (Correct answer)
- EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index)
Correct answer: NBR (Normalized Burn Ratio)
NBR uses near-infrared and shortwave infrared bands to highlight recently burned areas and assess fire severity.
Question 6: Which technique allows analysts to detect subtle ground deformation — such as that caused by underground construction or mining — using two or more radar satellite passes?
- Photogrammetry
- InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) (Correct answer)
- LiDAR fusion
- Spectral unmixing
Correct answer: InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar)
InSAR compares the phase difference between two SAR images taken at different times to measure millimeter-level surface displacement.
Question 7: When geolocating a photo taken in an unknown city, an analyst identifies a distinctive street sign style. Which open-source tool provides street-level imagery useful for cross-referencing such visual clues?
- Copernicus Browser
- OpenStreetMap iD Editor
- Google Street View / Mapillary (Correct answer)
- NASA WorldWind
Correct answer: Google Street View / Mapillary
Google Street View and the open-source alternative Mapillary both provide crowdsourced street-level photos used in geolocation verification.
OSINT Geospatial Intelligence & Mapping 2
Which file format stores both vector geometry and attribute data in a single compressed file and is commonly used in GIS web applications?