SOLVE-IT can be applied across a range of digital forensic activities, from day-to-day casework through to research and education. This page outlines some of the ways the knowledge base can be used in practice.

Investigation support

SOLVE-IT can be used at multiple points in the investigative lifecycle. For an ‘‘at a glance’’ at how the knowledge base can be used see the benefits page.

Developing procedures

The knowledge base can inform the development and refinement of standard operating procedures (SOPs). By reviewing the techniques, known weaknesses, and available mitigations for a given objective, organizations can build more robust procedures that account for potential issues before they arise.

During investigations

During active casework, SOLVE-IT can help examiners:

  • Identify relevant techniques for achieving a particular forensic objective.
  • Understand potential weaknesses associated with a technique they are using.
  • Find mitigations that may reduce the risk of errors or challenges to results.

Investigation review

After an investigation, SOLVE-IT can support the review process by helping to identify limitations in the techniques that were used, preempt potential challenges to the findings, and document the rationale behind methodological choices.

Research

Identifying knowledge gaps

The knowledge base makes it possible to identify areas where forensic knowledge is incomplete. Weaknesses that currently have no mitigations, or objectives with limited techniques, represent opportunities for research that would directly benefit the practitioner community. See the knowledge gaps page for more on this.

Increasing visibility

The DFPulse survey (Hargreaves et al., 2024) highlighted the poor connection between academic research and practitioner needs. By linking published research to specific techniques, weaknesses, or mitigations in SOLVE-IT, researchers can increase the visibility and practical impact of their work, helping to bridge this gap.

Education

Using SOLVE-IT for teaching

SOLVE-IT provides a structured overview of the digital forensic landscape that can be used as a teaching resource. Educators can use the knowledge base to:

  • Introduce students to the range of forensic techniques available for different objectives.
  • Illustrate the importance of understanding weaknesses and limitations in forensic methods.
  • Encourage critical thinking about when and how mitigations should be applied.

The SOLVE-IT education repository includes resources ranging from a one-page primer on SOLVE-IT to class exercises that can be incorporated into your curriculum. See the education page for more details.

Learning about SOLVE-IT

If you are new to SOLVE-IT and want to understand how it is structured, the best starting point is the about page, which explains the core concepts of objectives, techniques, weaknesses, and mitigations. From there, the SOLVE-IT Explorer provides an interactive way to browse the knowledge base and see how the concepts relate to each other.

Get started

Explore the knowledge base through the SOLVE-IT Explorer or see the knowledge base page for all available formats.