Mapping for origin and cause investigations
Wildland fire investigations often involve steep, heavily vegetated terrain, multiple potential ignition sources, and conflicting accounts. JP Forensics combines terrestrial LiDAR, UAV data capture, and photogrammetry to create spatially accurate basemaps and fire progression models of the origin area. Photogrammetry is also used to extract measurements from historical and witness imagery.
Joel Panock has supported wildfire origin and power line matters in California, Washington, and Hawaii, including tree failure and vegetation analysis near utility infrastructure.
Accident and catastrophic incident mapping
The same control-based methods apply to crash scenes and large-scale incidents. GNSS/RTK and surveyed targets establish one coordinate framework, so laser scans, drone imagery, and photographs register to a single measured record. JP Forensics responds to active scenes from Grass Valley, California, and is available for travel, capturing the as-found conditions before the scene changes.
Key deliverables
- Fire origin and progression mapping
- Tree failure and vegetation analysis
- Topographic basemaps and measured scene diagrams
- Digital terrain and surface modeling
- Multi-source data fusion (LiDAR, UAV, photogrammetry, and witness imagery)
- Courtroom exhibits and flythrough animations
Every exhibit traces to a documented measurement that can be checked, so the basemaps and models that support an investigation can also stand up to examination in litigation.
Matters supported
Wildland fire origin and cause, utility and power line matters, accident reconstruction and personal injury, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death, for insurance carriers, law firms, and engineering teams.
Senior-level attention on every matter
The work is led by Joel Panock, LSIT, MSEE, Principal of JP Forensics. Joel has over 22 years of experience in mapping, surveying, LiDAR, UAV data capture, and 3D modeling, and 14+ years of forensic experience and litigation support. He holds an M.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering from UC Irvine, is a California Land Surveyor-in-Training (LSIT #8695), and is an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot. JP Forensics is deliberately small, so the person who reviews your matter is the person who does the work.
