Overview#
A crash investigator arrives at a scene where a driver claims they were travelling at 35 mph when the collision occurred. The damage pattern and skid marks suggest something closer to 70. Inside the vehicle's Event Data Recorder is five seconds of pre-crash data capturing speed, brake application, throttle position, and seatbelt status captured in the moments before impact. That objective record resolves the discrepancy in minutes and forms the foundation of an evidence package that holds up in court.
Modern vehicles generate a far wider range of investigative data than most agencies realise. Beyond the EDR, infotainment systems, telematics devices, GPS navigation units, and connected car services each create records of driver behaviour, location history, communications, and vehicle condition. Argus Vehicle Forensics provides the analytical framework to collect, preserve, and analyse all of those data sources in a single workflow, with court-ready chain of custody documentation built in from the start.
Open Standards#
- SAE J1939: The platform ingests heavy-vehicle CAN bus fault codes classified under J1939 as a first-class FaultSource, enabling diagnostic trouble code analysis for commercial fleet and emergency service vehicles.
- OBD-II / SAE J1979 (ISO 15765-4): On-board diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) from passenger and light-commercial vehicles are collected via the OBD2 fault source, with DTC short codes and MIL status preserved in the evidence record.
- SAE J1708: Legacy serial-link fault codes from older heavy vehicles are classified under the J1708 FaultSource, ensuring forensic coverage of pre-CAN-bus fleet assets still in service.
- ISO 3779 (Vehicle Identification Number): The 17-character VIN is stored and validated at the schema level and is used as the primary key for automated vehicle-to-unit mapping, ensuring court-admissible identity linkage across all data sources.
- ISO 8601 (Date and Time): All telemetry timestamps, evidence collection times, and chain-of-custody records are stored and exchanged in ISO 8601 format with timezone offsets, supporting precise temporal reconstruction required for crash analysis.
- OAuth 2.0 (RFC 6749): Provider integrations that require delegated access (such as the Tyler New World telematics adapter) authenticate via OAuth 2.0 bearer-token flows, with credentials encrypted at rest.
- GraphQL (June 2018 Specification): All vehicle forensics queries, telemetry retrieval, fault inspection, and position-history replay are exposed through a typed GraphQL API, enabling structured, auditable data access for case-management and court-preparation integrations.
Last Reviewed: 2026-02-04 Last Updated: 2026-04-14
Key Features#
Event Data Recorder (EDR) Analysis#
Event Data Recorders are mandatory in all vehicles sold in the United States since 2014, and many manufacturers have included them for decades. These devices capture critical data during crash events, providing an objective record of vehicle dynamics and driver actions in the moments leading up to and during a collision. EDRs continuously monitor vehicle systems but only permanently record data when triggered by a significant event such as airbag deployment, severe deceleration, or rollover detection.
Infotainment System Forensics#
Modern vehicle infotainment systems are essentially computers running sophisticated operating systems that store substantial amounts of personal data. These systems connect to smartphones, access the internet, navigate to destinations, play media, and communicate with other vehicles and infrastructure.
Telematics Data#
Telematics systems transmit vehicle data to remote servers in real-time or near-real-time, creating records of vehicle activity. These systems are used by insurance companies for usage-based pricing, by fleet managers for vehicle tracking, and by manufacturers for remote diagnostics and services.
GPS History#
GPS data from vehicles provides objective location evidence that can be critical to investigations. Modern vehicles obtain GPS information from built-in navigation systems, infotainment units, telematics devices, and connected smartphones.
Connected Car Systems#
Connected vehicles communicate with manufacturer servers, other vehicles, infrastructure, and various cloud services. These connections generate data streams that extend beyond what is stored in the physical vehicle, creating new opportunities for evidence collection.
Crash Reconstruction#
Scientific crash reconstruction using vehicle data elevates investigations from subjective estimations to objective measurements. Physical evidence combined with recorded electronic data allows precise calculations of crash dynamics.
Evidence Chain of Custody#
The system maintains a complete, tamper-evident chain of custody for all evidence and analytical products. Every access, modification, and transfer is documented with timestamp, user identity, and action taken. Court-ready documentation is generated automatically for legal proceedings.
Reporting and Documentation#
Automated report generation compiles investigation findings, analytical results, and supporting documentation into structured case files. Customisable templates support agency-specific reporting requirements and court presentation formats. Export capabilities deliver reports in multiple formats for distribution to stakeholders.
Use Cases#
- Crash reconstruction analysing event data recorder information
- Hit-and-run investigation correlating vehicle telemetry with surveillance evidence
- Insurance fraud detection identifying inconsistencies in accident claims
- Criminal investigation extracting infotainment and navigation data
- Fleet incident analysis reviewing vehicle data following pursuit or collision
- Expert testimony preparation generating court-ready forensics documentation
- Vehicle recall and defect investigations analysing manufacturer data records
Integration#
- Case management systems for investigation workflow integration
- Evidence management platforms for digital and physical evidence
- Law enforcement databases and information sharing networks
- Court and prosecution systems for case preparation
- Motor vehicle registration databases for ownership verification
- Crash reporting systems for incident data correlation
- Manufacturer diagnostic tools for vehicle-specific data extraction