ok this is my understanding of IR detection. I could never get a strait answer on this when the cops are out looking for plants they have a spotter whos looking out for the crop during the day time just with his eyes/binoculors/ect. and they use IR at night to see hot spots on homes in the detection of a grow room where heats escaping in unnatural places. Now the plants themselves don't give off a different heat signiture then the other plants around them correct? they just have well trained eyes and know tell tale signs like beaten paths from water, cut down trees for light, crops grown in patterns things along those lines. Is it also true under the 4th amendment they need a search warrent first before they look at your home or property with IR but not really flying over in the daytime.....i live aroound all farmland and private property......state land is prolly ten milesaway.....

Not really sure what you're getting at with the indoor/outdoor and IR.

Outdoors they would be looking during the day for plants. I don't know why they would bother trying to find plants at night with IR.

Yes plants viewed outdoors at night with IR will show different temps. Google FLIR and take a look at some of the sample images at sites selling the cameras.

Why would they need a warrant to fly over anything they want during the day to have a look?

As far as needing a warrant to use IR to scan a house I don't think they do but I don't know that for sure. What I DO know for sure though is any cop that has little regard for peoples rights (and there are many of them) will not stop from using IR to scan a house and then find a legitimate reason to put you under suspicion and build a case from there. Wiretaps require a warrant but there have been plenty of people busted for things that all started with an illegal wiretap. They listen in, figure out a legitimate reason to target you for investigation from what they hear and then just never mention the wiretap.

ok yea i believe they can use flir to find pot outside since it has its own temperature each species usually does there are diffent plants with very close heat signitures but i believe they uitilies it mostly for indoor growers they do need a warrent to flir your house not your property but your house i believe garrage is included but a shed in the back yard is fair game

FLIR can not tell the difference between different plants that's not what I said. It can see plants. IF the popo were going to use FLIR to look for plants outdoors they would look for things like plants planted in rows water lines shit like that. Like I said though I don't really see the point to them using IR to look for plants outdoors which is why I was confused about your asking about it. It makes very little sense to me why they would do it. It's easier for them to just look during the day for tell tale signs.

I do see now where the Supreme Court said IR requires a warrant BUT I'd keep a general ear out for changes to that ruling because of wording about the technology not being available to the general public which is certainly no longer the case. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyllo_v._United_States That case involved a grow in a garage and I would imagine that any building on your property would be covered. Why would you not be able to reasonably expect the contents of your shed to be private?

not trying to stir a fight i just read the supreme court ruling carfully and it specificaly talks about the house not property and i have discussed this here before and the also the general concessous was that a she not attached to the house would not require a warrent

I've seen different thing across the net and then there is always ppl in the area that have their own opinion so I've heard alot of diff things. thanks for all the help this site has been a godsend. IR laws in michigan state that they cannot use IR to look at your home/private property to search for marijuana without a warrent but the catch is that they can "happen to notice" something on your property/home while surveying your "neighbors" home. Which gives them right to just say they were checking them and stumble across some irregular heat and your done. .....Also the part about plants having a specific signiture thats what i ment when i was asking about it...so thanks fellas

No you could be right, I'm no lawyer and I've been wrong on what I thought made sense to me as far as the law goes before. If I know something for a fact I'll say so and this was not one of them.