Keep reading to discover how we arrived at this figure.
Law enforcement agencies and forensic investigators need accurate, reliable, and tamper-proof location data to support criminal investigations, track suspects, improve operational efficiency, ensure officer safety, and ensure successful forensic investigations. Traditional GNSS-based tracking has limitations, particularly in urban settings, indoors, or areas where GNSS signals are blocked or manipulated. Additionally, on-premise solutions are essential for agencies that require secure, local positioning capabilities without depending on external cloud services.
Combain offers advanced law enforcement positioning services, such as Combain Cell ID Positioning, Cell Polygons, AI-driven indoor tracking, and seamless solutions for transitioning between indoor and outdoor environments. Combining AI-enhanced cellular positioning outdoors with WiFi and BLE positioning indoors, Combain delivers accurate location data even in situations where GNSS may be unreliable, like inside buildings, underground, or in urban canyons.
Key Industry Trends
- Growing demand for real-time surveillance
The global surveillance and tracking solutions market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.3%, reaching $25.6 billion by 2028, driven by increasing security threats. Source: MarketsandMarkets - Forensic location intelligence
With over 60% of forensic cases incorporating location data, precise positioning is critical for digital forensics. Source: National Institute of Justice - Seamless indoor-outdoor positioning
GPS limitations in urban environments and inside buildings have driven the need for advanced hybrid positioning solutions, reducing blind spots in security operations
Example Use Cases
Forensic Investigation with Combain Cell ID Positioning
Challenge:
Traditional forensic methods often struggle with precise location verification of suspects and evidence, particularly in urban environments where GPS data may be unreliable or unavailable. While network-based positioning is commonly used for tracking, it is typically restricted to an operator’s own network, rendering it ineffective when a device is roaming. Additionally, its accuracy is limited, as it only provides the location of the connected cell tower rather than the actual coverage area of the device.
Solution:
Combain Cell ID Positioning utilizes crowdsourced cellular network data to deliver forensic-grade location intelligence. Trained on extensive cellular positioning data, it can accurately estimate locations within 50–1000 meters, even in dense urban environments and underground areas. With global coverage, Combain’s solution remains effective both domestically and while roaming, ensuring reliable positioning worldwide.
To prioritize privacy and data security, Combain does not share location requests, store data for more than a month, or use collected data for profiling. This ensures that location intelligence is provided ethically and securely, aligning with privacy regulations and best practices.
Investigators can:
- Validate suspect alibis by analyzing mobile device location history and movement patterns.
- Cross-reference location patterns with security camera footage, transaction logs, and call records.
- Determine suspect movements in areas where GPS fails, such as tunnels, basements, and parking garages.
Benefits:
- Higher accuracy in forensic investigations with detailed location evidence.
- Complements other location sources and reduces reliance on unreliable GPS data.
- Works globally, not just in mobile network operators’ own networks.
- Privacy. Location requests are not shared with anyone or used for profiling.
- The OnPrem option is available. It can be run on its own server or even a laptop.
Forensic Investigation with Combain Cell Polygon
Challenge:
Cell ID-based positioning has been widely used in mobile forensics, emergency response, and location tracking, but it has significant limitations, including:
Low Accuracy
- Traditional operator Cell ID positioning only provides the location of the connected cell tower, not the actual area where the device is.
- In rural areas, this can mean errors of several kilometers, while in cities, it can still be off by hundreds of meters.
No Information About the Cell Coverage Area
- A cell tower can serve a large and irregular area, making it difficult to determine where the device is within the coverage zone.
- This makes forensic tracking, suspect movement analysis, and emergency services slower and less precise.
No Context for Roaming or Multi-Tower Scenarios
- Traditional operator-based positioning only works within the operator’s own network, meaning that roaming devices lose accuracy or provide no location at all.
- Multiple towers might be visible to a device, but Cell ID alone does not consider overlapping cell areas to improve accuracy.
Solution: Combain Cell Polygon
Provides a Realistic Estimate of the Actual Cell Coverage Area
- Instead of only providing a single tower location, Cell Polygons maps the actual geographic area that a specific cell tower covers.
- This results in higher accuracy (hundreds of meters instead of kilometers), making it more useful for forensic tracking and law enforcement investigations.
Works Across Networks and for Roaming Devices
- Unlike operator-based Cell ID positioning, Combain’s Cell Polygons database has global coverage, meaning devices can be positioned even when roaming.
- This makes it useful for cross-border investigations, international law enforcement, and tracking suspects moving between networks.
Improves Forensic Investigations with Multi-Tower Data
- Instead of just using one cell tower, forensic experts can use overlapping Cell Polygons to further refine a device’s possible location.
- Triangulation becomes more effective, improving accuracy without requiring GPS or WiFi.
Benefits:
- Enables better forensic tracking (actual cell coverage areas vs. single towers, visual coverage)
- More accurate positioning (hundreds of meters vs. kilometers)
- Works when GPS is unavailable (indoors, underground, urban canyons)
- Supports roaming devices (global coverage beyond a single network)
- Enhances crime scene and movement analysis
VIP Protection via AI-Enhanced Indoor Tracking
Challenge:
Traditional security measures for high-profile individuals rely on manual monitoring, making real-time threat detection difficult and response times slow.
Solution:
AI-powered positioning from Combain integrates indoor and outdoor tracking using Cell ID database, WiFi positioning, and Bluetooth beacons. This ensures real-time, AI-enhanced tracking of VIPs and their security teams, allowing:
- Continuous monitoring of VIP movements in sensitive areas.
- Automatic alerts when unauthorized individuals approach a protected zone.
- Wearable alarm buttons with positioning.
- Real-time analysis of movement patterns to detect potential security threats.
Benefits:
- Seamless tracking across different environments with 2-20-meter accuracy indoors and outdoors.
Short Incident Response & Emergency Operations
The Cost of Workplace Violence
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, correctional officers face 3.8 times higher workplace injury risks than the average worker (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). A single physical assault leads to an average of 5.6 lost workdays (Ariel et al., 2019).
Beyond lost wages, workplace violence results in other direct and indirect costs:
- Medical expenses
- Workers’ compensation
- Higher turnover
- Legal costs
Indirect costs make up a significant portion of the total expenses related to workplace incidents. In fact, for every dollar spent on direct costs, approximately $2.2 dollars are spent on indirect costs associated with workplace injuries (Huang et al, 2011). Preventing just one assault through precise personnel positioning can save $9,592 (Ariel et al., 2019). Reducing these incidents improves safety and financial sustainability (U.S. Department of Labor, 2024).
Real-World Scenario: High-Security Correctional Facility
A maximum-security correctional facility houses over 1,500 inmates and employs 500 correctional officers working in shifts, with each employee earning a wage of $150 per day. The facility experiences frequent violent incidents, with an average of 100 officer duress situations per year. The average medical expenses are $1000 per incident.
Industry insights and estimations
Annual work days lost: 560 (100 incidents x 5.6 days lost)
Annual direct costs: $184,000 ( $84,000 wages + $ 100,000 medical expenses)
Many workplace incidents and insurance claims lead to higher insurance premiums, weakening long-term financial sustainability. Correctional facilities, a high-risk industry, can have premium rates of 10% up to 40%.
Annual insurance premium costs (40%): $73,600 (0,4 x $184,000)
Annual indirect costs (lost productivity, overtime, turnover etc): $161,920 ($73,600 indirect costs x 2.2 dollars)
Total annual cost before implementing personnel tracking/positioning: $235,520
ROI estimations after Implementing Personnel Tracking
Assuming 40% fewer incidents due to faster emergency response:
- Annual savings: $94,208 (0,4 x annual costs before)
- Implementing a positioning-based workforce tracking system costs $50,000 per year.
ROI Calculations for Personnel Tracking
A 88% ROI in the first year shows that personnel tracking quickly pays for itself in high-risk environments.
Security Staff & Guard Protection with Traxmate and Axis body worn cameras
Challenge:
Security personnel often face high risks during patrols and high-threat operations, with limited real-time tracking of their movements.
Solution:
Combining Combain partners Traxmate’s AI-powered tracking system with Axis body-worn cameras offers:
- Real-time location monitoring:
Traxmate provides live GNSS and indoor tracking of security personnel, ensuring their positions are always known. - Automated distress alerts:
The system can detect unusual activity or lack of movement and send immediate alerts for rapid response. - Video-verified incident documentation:
Axis body-worn cameras capture high-quality audio and video, providing valuable evidence for legal and compliance purposes.
Benefits:
- Security guards are twice as likely to suffer fatal and nonfatal workplace injuries than regular workers. Body-worn cameras can reduce the risk of assaults by up to 50%. Source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0734016818814889
- Research shows that implementing security guard tracking solutions can significantly improve operational efficiency, productivity, and accountability in security operations, with improvements of up to 20% in some cases.
Conclusion
Combain provides unparalleled positioning solutions tailored for law enforcement and forensic teams. By leveraging AI-enhanced seamless real-time tracking, security intelligence, and forensic location tools, agencies can enhance security, improve response times, and ensure justice with precision.
Next Steps
To get started, contact us to schedule a consultation. Learn how Combain positioning can empower you.
Machine learning algorithms provides enhanced location accuracy.
Unlike traditional GNSS, Combain’s technology continues to function in jammed or GNSS-denied environments, ensuring location data remains reliable.
Provides highly detailed historical and real-time location tracking and actual mobile network performance, providing insights and evidence.
Law enforcement agencies can keep sensitive location data in-house for compliance and security.
Combain’s hybrid technology ensures continuous location tracking from outdoor to indoor environments such as prisons, police stations, and urban settings.