Wide Area Motion Imagery and the Colonial Antecedents of Surveillance

Abstract

Wide area motion imagery (WAMI) technologies are procured by federal and state security institutions across the United States, due to their capacity to surveil at an extraordinary scale. Innovation in WAMI development seeks to make them more compact or convenient to use and employ in a variety of situations. The increased use of WAMI, particularly through uncrewed aerial combat vehicle (UCAV) systems and operations, is able to render visible people, communities, and behaviors at an unprecedented level. This has implications for individuals’ and communities’ perception of surveillance and the ontology of security. The experience of being secured or kept safe is brought about through the surveillance apparatus, which imposes an unending gaze upon the secured population. This article argues that WAMI technology replicates the totalizing gaze of colonial surveillance architecture, and its deployment in areas such as Baltimore and Dayton, reifies disciplinary boundaries around legitimate behavior in law enforcement and warfare.