Forensic Analytics Turns Raw Data into Actionable insights
Modern policing heavily relies on digital evidence, with mobile phones serving as critical sources of intelligence in criminal investigations, missing persons cases, and public safety incidents. Every call, message, or data session generates a footprint on the cellular network, creating records that investigators can analyze and review.
The challenge lies in converting these raw call data records (CDRs) and cell tower logs into actionable insights. Each record indicates which cell tower a device is connected to; however, without proper tools to visualize and interpret this data, it becomes challenging to utilize it effectively in real-time. Investigators often encounter questions such as:
- Which areas does a cell tower cover?
- How does that coverage change depending on sector and environment?
- Can the sequence of cell connections reveal movement patterns, such as travel by train or car?
Accurate mapping and visualizations are essential because, without them, records can easily be misinterpreted. In high-risk situations, such as child abductions, vulnerable missing persons, or serious criminal activities, time is often of the essence. Delays or uncertainties in interpreting location data can endanger lives and obstruct justice.
Police forces and analysts require a reliable, quick, and accurate method to convert complex telecom data into visual intelligence that can inform operational decisions.
Some Industry Insights
- Missing persons scale:
Approximately 170,000 people are reported missing in the UK each year, resulting in nearly 350,000 incidents. Someone is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK. (Missing People). Crime volume:
Approximately 9.6 million incidents of crime are estimated by the Crime Survey for England and Wales in a single year (Office for National Statistics, ONS).Case closures:
Many cases are closed due to evidential difficulties or the lack of a suspect identified (UK Government).
The need is clear: investigators require fast, accurate, and reliable tools to transform complex network data into actionable intelligence.
CSAS and CellView with Combain Polygons
and better protection for the vulnerable
Forensic Analytics, a UK-based specialist in telecoms data solutions for law enforcement, has integrated Combain’s Cell Polygon Service into two of its flagship products: CSAS (Cell Site Analysis Suite) with the add-on CellView. Together, these solutions enable investigators to process and interpret mobile network data with accuracy and speed.
CSAS
CSAS is a comprehensive software platform utilized by police forces across the UK. It processes large volumes of communications data, including Call Detail Records (CDRs), to assist investigators in identifying connections between suspects, events, and locations.
When CDRs are imported into CSAS, the software automatically maps the cell sites involved. Thanks to Combain’s polygon service, the mapped coverage area is not represented by a single point at the mast location. Instead, investigators can see a reliable polygon that gives an indication of the real-world coverage.
In just minutes, officers can visualize where a device could realistically have been when connecting to the network, transforming technical network data into clear operational intelligence.
CellView
CellView is a complementary mapping tool that provides deeper insights into mobile network coverage. Investigators can enter a cell ID or import cell records to instantly view the most likely coverage area, which is displayed as a polygon on the map.
By combining CellView with CSAS, analysts gain a significant advantage: CSAS shows the sequence and timeline of cell connections, while CellView provides a reliable indication of the geographical footprint of each connection. This combination enables officers to confidently assess movement patterns, travel routes, and potential locations with confidence.
Enhanced with Combain Cell Polygons
At the core of this solution lies Combain’s global cell polygon database. With billions of crowdsourced cells worldwide and continuously updated coverage models, Combain provides highly reliable polygons that go far beyond simple cell tower coordinates.
- Each polygon represents the estimated area of coverage for a given cell and sector.
- The service is delivered via API, ensuring seamless integration into Forensic Analytics’ products.
- Coverage is global, supporting investigations that span international borders.
This integration means that when police forces use CSAS with CellView, they are effectively leveraging Combain’s advanced location intelligence technology behind the scenes.
Benefits
The integration of Combain polygons into Forensic Analytics products delivers significant advantages to law enforcement:
- Faster investigations
Instead of manually analyzing records, investigators can instantly visualize cell coverage. - Improved accuracy
Polygons display actual coverage areas, reducing the misinterpretation of data. - Operational clarity
Movement patterns and likely routes become visible, enabling decisive action. - Scalable use
Applicable to high-risk missing persons, child protection cases, drug investigations, organized crime, and counter-terrorism.
This approach leads to better outcomes: authorities locate missing persons more quickly, they provide better protection for vulnerable individuals, and they hold criminals accountable.
Typical Scenario
High-Risk Missing Child
Disclaimer
The described story is a fictional scenario created to illustrate how CSAS, CellView, and Combain’s Cell Polygon Service can be applied in real investigative contexts. It is not based on any specific case, real individual, or actual police operation.
The Situation
The police contact a family after a 6-year-old child has not attended school for more than two weeks. During their investigation, they find the child’s home unsafe and uninhabitable, raising concerns about the child’s need for urgent medical attention.
When officers reach out to the mother, who is already known to social services for neglect, she gives inconsistent accounts of her and her child’s whereabouts. Due to the potential risks involved, the police escalate the case to a high-risk missing child investigation and classify the mother as a wanted person.
The Response
Due to the circumstances, authorities classify the child’s case as a “high-risk missing child,” and flag the mother as “wanted.” The police attempt to contact her via her mobile phone. Initially, she claims to be on a train returning home, but throughout the day, she changes her story in an attempt to evade the police.
Once authorized, the police obtain the mother’s call data records (CDRs). The team quickly uses the Forensic Analytics CSAS mapping tool to identify all the cell towers to which the mother’s phone has been connected that day. The map generated by CSAS shows that her phone connects to cell towers located between London and York. By utilizing the CellView function, they confirm that the coverage from each tower likely extends along the train line between the two cities. This leads them to conclude that she may be traveling by train.
The police use the information from the timing of each cell tower record to identify the most likely train that the missing mother and child are on. They alert the railway’s Critical Incident Inspector (CII) and the British Transport Police, who send officers to York train station. When the officers arrive, they discover that the mother and child are not on that train, leading them to conclude that the pair must have disembarked at an earlier station.
The officers then request an update on the mother’s phone records and find that her phone connects to a cell tower near a station where the train stopped just ten minutes earlier. By utilizing the CellView function again, they determine the coverage area of that cell, which includes a location known for drug dealing.
The Outcome
Officers relocate to a newly identified location and find a mother with her child, along with a quantity of prohibited drugs. They place the child into temporary foster care and arrest the mother for child neglect and drug offenses.
The CSAS software and the CellView function are crucial for the timely recovery of the child. Officers process complex data sets quickly and accurately, enabling them to identify locations within minutes and respond effectively to emergencies.
Conclusion
Fast actionable location intelligence
Forensic Analytics’ integration of Combain’s Cell Polygon Service into CSAS and CellView has transformed the way UK police forces analyze mobile network data. Investigators now have the tools to:
- Map cell coverage accurately within minutes.
- Understand movement patterns and likely routes.
- Take timely and informed action in critical cases.
This partnership highlights the benefits of merging specialized knowledge in forensic telecommunications analysis with advanced global location intelligence. Together, Forensic Analytics and Combain are helping law enforcement transform complex data into actionable insights, thereby enhancing community safety and protecting those most at risk.
Key Takeaways
What problem does this solution solve?
Forensic Analytics transforms raw mobile call data records into precise, map-based intelligence using actual cell coverage, enabling police to understand a device’s location and identify potential routes quickly.
How significant is the issue of missing persons in the UK?
Every year, over 170,000 people are reported missing, with many cases involving multiple reports, resulting in nearly 350,000 incidents recorded annually. Fortunately, less than 1% of these cases end fatally; however, many involve risks to vulnerable individuals (Missing People).
How important is digital data in criminal forensics?
Digital data is crucial in criminal investigations, particularly given that an estimated 9.6 million crimes occur annually. Many investigations rely on establishing a suspect’s presence or movements. Data indicate that a significant number of cases are closed due to insufficient evidence or lack of leads (ONS; UK Government). Telecom data is essential in bridging this evidence gap.
How does Combain's technology fit in?
Combain provides cell polygon coverage data that powers CSAS and CellView maps, illustrating actual coverage areas rather than just individual mast locations.
Who uses CSAS and CellView?
Forensic Analytics offers its solutions to law enforcement agencies worldwide. Police forces and analysts utilize these tools for urgent investigations, including missing persons cases, child protection efforts, and drug-related crimes.
Why are polygons better than mast coordinates?
Mast coordinates only indicate the location of a mobile tower. However, actual coverage can vary significantly based on sector and environmental conditions.
Polygons provide a more accurate and realistic representation of coverage areas.
What are the benefits for law enforcement?
- Faster analysis of call data records
- More accurate mapping of phone activity
- Clear visualization of movement patterns
- Improved decision-making during crucial timeframes
- Faster resolution of missing persons and crime cases
- Better allocation of search and investigative resources
- Nationally consistent tools for police forces
What is an example of the impact?
CSAS and CellView combined have been responsible for the recovery of several vulnerable missing people before they could come to further harm.
Instead of manually analyzing records, investigators can instantly visualize cell coverage.
Polygons display reliable coverage areas, reducing the misinterpretation of data.
Movement patterns and likely routes become visible, enabling decisive action.
Applicable to high-risk missing persons, child protection cases, drug investigations, organized crime, and counter-terrorism.