SEARCH Investigations deploys cutting-edge drone technology including thermal imaging, AI-powered image analysis, and autonomous flight patterns to locate missing persons faster. Our aerial capabilities cover more ground in one hour than a team of searchers can cover in a day.
Our thermal imaging cameras detect infrared radiation emitted by the human body, creating a clear heat signature that stands out against the surrounding environment. This means we can find people who are invisible to the naked eye.
Whether a missing person is hidden beneath dense tree canopy, lying in a ravine, concealed by tall grass, or lost in complete darkness, thermal imaging reveals what visual searches cannot. The technology detects temperature differences as small as 0.05 degrees Celsius.
Night searches are often more effective than daytime operations because the temperature contrast between a warm human body and the cooler environment increases significantly after sunset, making heat signatures easier to identify.
Thermal Imaging
Our primary search platform is the DJI Matrice M30T, a professional-grade enterprise drone built specifically for public safety and search operations. It is one of the most capable SAR drones available anywhere.
The M30T features a quad-sensor gimbal combining a wide-angle camera, zoom camera (up to 200x), thermal camera, and laser rangefinder into a single integrated system. This allows our operator to switch instantly between visual and thermal views, zoom into targets from safe distances, and relay precise GPS coordinates to ground teams.
DJI Matrice M30T
Our drone fleet gives us an unmatched advantage in locating missing persons across any environment.
640x512 radiometric thermal camera detects body heat through vegetation, fog, and smoke
Full operational capability in complete darkness with enhanced thermal contrast for detection
Covers hundreds of acres per flight with systematic grid patterns and GPS waypoints
Thermal signatures detected through forest canopy and heavy brush invisible to visual search
Aerial overwatch for water-adjacent searches, detecting heat near shorelines and shallow areas
AI-powered software processes drone imagery to identify heat signatures and anomalies automatically
From mission planning to ground team coordination, every drone search follows a proven operational process.
We analyze the search area, terrain, weather conditions, and last known position to create an optimized flight plan with systematic grid coverage.
The drone flies pre-programmed grid patterns at optimal altitude, capturing thermal and visual imagery across the entire search zone with overlapping coverage.
Our operators monitor live thermal feeds while ADIAT software processes images for heat signatures and anomalies, flagging potential targets instantly.
When targets are identified, we relay precise GPS coordinates to ground search teams for immediate follow-up and confirmation.
Drone technology has been a decisive factor in many of our successful search operations. Thermal imaging frequently locates individuals that ground teams have been unable to find.
Our drone fleet has contributed to locating missing persons in wilderness searches through dense forest, where thermal imaging detected a heat signature beneath heavy tree canopy that ground searchers had passed within yards of without seeing.
During night search operations, our drones have identified individuals in open terrain and along roadways where visual searches had failed. In multiple cases, the thermal camera detected a person's body heat from altitudes exceeding 300 feet, well beyond what any ground-level search could have achieved.
Search Operations
Our drone fleet is standing by for rapid deployment. Call for a free consultation about how aerial search technology can help your case.
877-619-9890