What Is Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)?

OSITNT is legally gathered information about an individual or organization from free, public sources. In practice, that tends to mean information found on the Internet. OSINT is not confidential and does not contain classified material. The Russian Incursion of Ukraine is the first OSINT War with news delivered through messaging applications such as Signal and Telegram. OSINT data also powers the drones used in the war.

Virtual Training Centers

Analysts, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals undergo training at US government facilities. The system and methods in use have demonstrated their value for decades. Software training takes place in classroom settings. Plus, when a department or agency licenses a software system such as Palantir Technologies, the vendor or its training partner conducts classes for those who will be using the system. In addition, vendors and third-party training companies offer training programs. The emphasis in these programs is how to use in an effective manner software and cloud services already verified and licensed by a government procurement process.

The “knowledge gap” between an investigator and new or updated systems can be reduced in many ways. Investigators can be encouraged to perform horizon scanning using Internet search or interacting with colleagues. Budget constraints make it difficult for several investigators to attend an international conference and scout for new solutions. Local or regional conferences may showcase new technologies and their applications, but typically the companies exhibiting are incumbents, not new entrants from outside the US.

The question becomes:

Is there a cost-effective way to allow one or more investigators to learn about, test, and interact with vendors in a controlled environment?

The answer is, “Yes, we can help.”