10ofRods
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Cell towers are not the only source of ping/digital data. Many areas have cell phone masts as well as towers and some of those can provide data as well.
While Moscow has only a few phone company owned cell towers (of the type that direct one's phone calls onward and provide digital data to your phone), there are many, many other cell towers and masts in Moscow, Idaho. More now than when the murders occurred, if my notes are correct.
Here's a map. Note how many towers (not masts, just towers) are listed. I count about TWENTY cell towers, many of them belonging to UofI. This means that someone driving down a main thoroughfare in Moscow would ping off (attempt handshake protocols) with several different towers and not just ones owned by phone companies.
Naturally, LE isn't going to get subpoenas for the small mast at a local medical clinic. But they *could* have gotten subpoenas for relevant areas (and some of the potential data providers would include LE cell masts and towers; but less controversial would be the hospital and university towers and masts). The university owns a cell tower right on Old Pullman Road, not to mention several others. The University can pull its own data if asked/subpoena'ed (I seriously doubt that a subpoena would be needed - but it would be advisable).
If you click on the markers that have numbers, you can reveal more cell towers (they are often grouped together). Most universities and LE agencies have their own. Fire departments too. Hospitals.
If we add in masts, it's even more.
I am still waiting patiently for trial. If the ping data they already have from cell providers doesn't paint enough of a picture, I suspect they have data from elsewhere. It's probably not organized in a fashion that the Defense can recognize (the organization will be according to the investigative tasks and agencies of LE/the Prosecution). It's up to the Defense to review all this data (and it is probably confusing - if the data separates out tower by tower - and no one knows just how much data there is, yet, as it is an overwhelming amount).
Meantime, the prosecution has lots of time to organize its already existing system (and no legal obligation to do the legwork/organization/file labeling/alphabetical arrangement/exhibit arrangement for the Defense - that's all legal work and not subject to discovery). Prosecution had to find its way through and invent a system (and they might not even be done with all of their own analysis). Defense has to do the same.
Anyway, no point in trying to say how much cell data is available. No need to only use phone company data.
We simply do not know what's in the possession of either side. But we DO know that there are more than just ATT towers in Moscow, Idaho. There are about 50 on that map. Cell phones do not know where cell towers are. They just emit their signals. Some of these towers have relatively short range, but still might provide useful data about the movements of a phone that's traveling near the University - most of those 50 are near the University.
IMO.
While Moscow has only a few phone company owned cell towers (of the type that direct one's phone calls onward and provide digital data to your phone), there are many, many other cell towers and masts in Moscow, Idaho. More now than when the murders occurred, if my notes are correct.
Here's a map. Note how many towers (not masts, just towers) are listed. I count about TWENTY cell towers, many of them belonging to UofI. This means that someone driving down a main thoroughfare in Moscow would ping off (attempt handshake protocols) with several different towers and not just ones owned by phone companies.
Naturally, LE isn't going to get subpoenas for the small mast at a local medical clinic. But they *could* have gotten subpoenas for relevant areas (and some of the potential data providers would include LE cell masts and towers; but less controversial would be the hospital and university towers and masts). The university owns a cell tower right on Old Pullman Road, not to mention several others. The University can pull its own data if asked/subpoena'ed (I seriously doubt that a subpoena would be needed - but it would be advisable).
If you click on the markers that have numbers, you can reveal more cell towers (they are often grouped together). Most universities and LE agencies have their own. Fire departments too. Hospitals.
If we add in masts, it's even more.
I am still waiting patiently for trial. If the ping data they already have from cell providers doesn't paint enough of a picture, I suspect they have data from elsewhere. It's probably not organized in a fashion that the Defense can recognize (the organization will be according to the investigative tasks and agencies of LE/the Prosecution). It's up to the Defense to review all this data (and it is probably confusing - if the data separates out tower by tower - and no one knows just how much data there is, yet, as it is an overwhelming amount).
Meantime, the prosecution has lots of time to organize its already existing system (and no legal obligation to do the legwork/organization/file labeling/alphabetical arrangement/exhibit arrangement for the Defense - that's all legal work and not subject to discovery). Prosecution had to find its way through and invent a system (and they might not even be done with all of their own analysis). Defense has to do the same.
Anyway, no point in trying to say how much cell data is available. No need to only use phone company data.
We simply do not know what's in the possession of either side. But we DO know that there are more than just ATT towers in Moscow, Idaho. There are about 50 on that map. Cell phones do not know where cell towers are. They just emit their signals. Some of these towers have relatively short range, but still might provide useful data about the movements of a phone that's traveling near the University - most of those 50 are near the University.
IMO.