Edler R, Ranjous L, Glasze G (2026)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2026
Original Authors: Edler Raphaela, Lama Ranjous, Glasze Georg
Article Number: 100186
DOI: 10.1016/j.diggeo.2026.100186
This article contributes to digital geographical debates on how remote and situated spatial knowledge claims are assembled in contexts of armed conflicts. It examines how epistemic practices shape the robustness of claims toward the establishment of stable knowledge circulating across legal, political, and advocacy arenas. A specific focus is given to the growing use of satellite remote sensing data in these practices, with its frequent presentation as objective and scalable spatial evidence, which is, however, deeply situated within social, political, and geopolitical contexts. Drawing on Bruno Latour's distinction between matters of fact and matters of concern, the article conceptualizes conflict documentation as a process of epistemic triangulation across heterogeneous digital and non-digital forms of spatial knowledge where matters of fact produce vulnerable knowledge, while matters of concern allow for stable knowledge production.
Empirically, it is based on 19 interviews with Syrian civil society organizations operating from Turkey under conditions of restricted access, spatial distance, and political risk. The analysis traces how investigators combine witness testimony, contextual knowledge, satellite remote sensing data and expert interpretation. The findings show that epistemic stability does not emerge from satellite remote sensing data alone, but from triangulation practices that are based on more than one epistemic practice and are sustained through reflexivity. Satellite remote sensing data can strengthen such triangulation practices when used as an additional spatial layer. By contrast, singular epistemic practices, such as large-scale, digital data-driven analyses risk producing narrow, decontextualized claims that resemble fragile matters of fact. The article advances digital geographical debates on how satellite remote sensing can support epistemic stability without determining its acceptance across different political arenas.
APA:
Edler, R., Ranjous, L., & Glasze, G. (2026). From pixels to evidence? Triangulating satellite data and situated knowledge in conflict documentation. Digital Geography and Society. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diggeo.2026.100186
MLA:
Edler, Raphaela, Lama Ranjous, and Georg Glasze. "From pixels to evidence? Triangulating satellite data and situated knowledge in conflict documentation." Digital Geography and Society (2026).
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