A template for creating and sharing ground truth data in digital forensics.

Area of Science:

• Digital Forensics
• Data Management

Background:

• Ground Truth Data (GTD) is crucial in digital forensics (DF) for evaluating technologies and digital traces.
• Current lack of formal guidance for GTD creation compromises data quality and reliability.
• This impacts the validity of trace interpretations and knowledge discovery in DF.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a minimum standard for documenting GTD in digital forensics.
• To enhance the quality, reliability, and usability of GTD for DF investigations.
• To support the creation of trustworthy and shareable GTD.

Main Methods:

• Development of a minimum documentation standard for GTD.
• Proposal of a template structure for GTD metadata.
• Focus on metadata describing the GTD production process and content.

Main Results:

• A proposed minimum standard for GTD documentation is presented.
• A template for metadata is provided to guide GTD creation.
• The approach aims to ensure GTD quality and facilitate its use in DF.

Conclusions:

• Implementing a standardized documentation approach is essential for GTD in digital forensics.
• This standard will improve trust and shareability of GTD.
• It will ultimately enhance the rigor of digital forensic analysis and knowledge discovery.