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Practical, Litigation-Focused Instruction

Geospatial evidence plays an important role in legal matters involving property, land use, environmental conditions, infrastructure, and historical events. Yet understanding what maps, aerial photographs, elevation models, and other geospatial data actually show is not always straightforward.

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Developed and taught by a practicing geospatial expert witness, Geospatial Evidence for Legal Professionals introduces attorneys to the technologies, data, methods, and reasoning involved in using geospatial evidence in legal matters.

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The courses combine technical foundations with practical applications, helping attorneys understand how geospatial information is produced, what questions it can answer, and how to evaluate its use in legal investigations and litigation.

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Topics covered include:

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  • The types of geospatial data available and where to find them

  • How aerial imagery, GIS, LiDAR, and satellite remote sensing work

  • How these technologies produce information relevant to legal questions

  • Common legal applications and the questions different types of data can answer

  • Limitations, uncertainties, and potential sources of error

  • Ethical responsibilities in producing, interpreting, and presenting geospatial evidence

  • Evaluating the methods, reasoning, and conclusions underlying geospatial evidence

  • Working effectively with geospatial experts

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The goal is to equip attorneys with the knowledge to recognize opportunities for using geospatial evidence, ask informed questions, and critically evaluate the information and conclusions presented to them.

Complete Series

Geospatial Evidence for Legal Professionals

Seven courses covering the foundations, technologies, applications, ethics, and reasoning involved in geospatial evidence.

Register for the Complete Series

Module 1                                                                                           $149

Foundations of Geospatial Evidence

Discover the history, sources, and applications of geospatial data, how it can help answer legal questions, and when to work with geospatial experts.

Module 3                                                                                           $149

Vectors, PDFs and GIS as Legal Evidence

Explore how digital maps, vector data, PDFs, and geographic information systems are created and used to organize, analyze, and present spatial evidence.

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Module 5                                                                                           $149

Satellite Data as Legal Evidence

​Explore satellite sensors, imagery, and remote sensing techniques, including how they reveal environmental conditions, land-use patterns, and changes across large areas.

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Module 7                                                                                           $149

Reasoning with Geospatial Evidence

Learn to evaluate the data, methods, interpretations, and conclusions behind geospatial evidence, identify weaknesses in reasoning, and anticipate or make challenges.

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Module 2                                                                                           $149

Aerial Imagery as Legal Evidence

Learn how historical and modern aerial imagery is collected, processed, and interpreted, and how it can be used to investigate past conditions and changes over time.

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Module 4                                                                                           $149

Topographic Lidar as Legal Evidence

Understand how LiDAR technology measures the physical world, what information can be derived from point clouds, and how it can support terrain, elevation, and infrastructure investigations.

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Module 6                                                                                           $149

Geospatial Ethics and Legal Practice

Examine the ethical responsibilities involved in collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting geospatial evidence, including uncertainty, misrepresentation, and professional judgment.

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PLACEHOLDER TEXT

Who These CLEs Are For

These courses are designed for attorneys who encounter spatial, land-based or imagery-driven issues, including:

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  • Real-property and boundary attorneys

  • Land-use and zoning attorneys

  • Environmental and natural resource attorneys

  • Trial attorneys handling site-specific disputes

  • Attorneys working with expert witnesses or technical evidence

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No technical background is required.

Instructor

Nathan Mangsen is a geospatial analyst and expert witness specializing in historic aerial imagery, Lidar analysis, and photogrammetry for litigation. He has supported more than 30 legal matters involving land-use, boundary, and environmental disputes and teaches CLE courses focused on the practical use of geospatial evidence. He is an ASPRS Certified Photogrammetrist (CP), a GISP, and holds a Master’s degree in GIS from Penn State University.

Register or Stay Informed

  • Attend the live webinar: February 5, 2026

  • Request notification: On-demand access and future modules

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