Modern technologies in the investigation of forest fires: the forensic potential of the Rosleskhoz IDMS and other GIS services

The article discusses the key aspects of the use of space monitoring and geographic information systems (GIS) in the investigation of forest fires. The significance of integrating Earth remote sensing data into forensic practice, including the produc-tion of a crime scene inspection and the preparation of materials for fire-technical expertise, is substantiated. The functional capabilities of the leading GIS platforms — ISDM-Rosleskhoz, Land Viewer and Google Earth — are analyzed in detail in terms of identifying thermal points, determining the geographical coordinates of fire sources, reconstructing the dynamics of fire spread, as well as assessing the impact of terrain, meteorological conditions and other natural factors. Using the example of specific forest fires, it is demonstrated how the use of satellite data and GIS technologies contributes to the establishment of focal zones, determination of the direction of fire spread, and assessment of the extent of environmental damage. The cases of using satellite images to analyze the terrain and prepare expert opin-ions are considered.