by Robin Taylor on 9. November 2021

Geolocation: finding a prison in Tibet with Google Earth

Starting a project to map out prison locations in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) is quite a daunting task. Considering there is little to no information and such work has not been done in the region previously. The Tibet Research Project is an attempt to map all prison locations in Tibet, similar to the work that has been done in Xinjiang.

The article by the Tibet Research Project showcases a few of the methods and sources utilised to identify and verify many hundreds of prisons and detention centres. By using historical satellite imagery, old pictures found on the internet, this story by the Tibet Research Project serves as an introductory lesson into the world of geolocation, imagery analysis, and Google Earth.

Tutorial: How to geolocate a prison in Tibet with Google Earth

More geolocation sources:

https://investigationlab.org/2021/10/geolocation-ai-in-open-source-investigations/

https://exposingtheinvisible.org/en/guides/geolocating-images-suncalc/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlVB4gFyDQo&t=173s

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Russia Theft Watch: when corporate interests hijack the open-source investigative space

7. October 2022 By Robin Taylor

This post was written in August 2022. On the 26 July 2022, the Russian Theft Report dropped, claiming to ‘expose’ Russia’s looting of Ukrainian assets “like steel and grain” using “open-source intelligence tools”. The report was the work of the Initiative for the Study of Russian Piracy (ISRP) a self-described group of “former U.S. government […]

Infographic: Who is transporting Russian oil and gas?

6. June 2022 By Robin Taylor

After weeks of wrangling, European leaders last week reached agreement to ban 75% of Russian oil shipments into the EU. The sanctions target all seaborne oil shipments from Russia to European ports. Lots has been written about where Russian oil and gas is going, but I thought it might be interesting to take a look […]

How we used a Twitter bot to identify the companies shipping Russian oil to Europe

31. May 2022 By Robin Taylor

In this article, we explain how we were able to identify the companies behind the transport of Russian oil to European markets. Our aim was to identify the shipping companies facilitating the trade of Russian oil and gas and shed a light on the often opaque supply chains run by shipping companies.

Feminism, power relations, and OSINT

8. December 2021 By Robin Taylor

Perhaps from a reductionist perspective, citizen investigations would not be considered anything new. It is a cocktail of tools, methodologies, and disciplines, that have existed for some time and that are used by the investigative journalist, the academic criminologist or the activist artist. Yet, when viewed holistically, citizen investigations are ground-breaking, radical, and perhaps, just […]

Understanding Bias in Open Source Investigation

2. December 2021 By Robin Taylor

Bias in research, journalism, investigation, means several things. However, more often than not, when investigating using open source techniques we are often subjected to specific types of bias. Investigators are often using specific tools, methods, and language, that help form our investigations and the type of information and/or evidence we interact with. Generally, we can […]

Introduction to Counter Forensics

10. November 2021 By Robin Taylor

There are a few longer pieces listed here about counter forensics and investigation as a civil practice, if you prefer a shorter piece, this might be for you. Written by Eyal Weizman, the founder of Forensic Architecture, and is an extract from the book with the same name, FA. Here is the link to the […]

Forensis. The Architecture of Public Truth

10. November 2021 By Robin Taylor

The 2014 publication of Forensis by Forensic Architecture is free to read online of HKW’s website. Take a deep dive into the history and theory on investigation and evidence as a civil practice. You can find it here

When do you stop verifying?

24. January 2022 By Robin Taylor

An important part of any investigation is verifying pieces of evidence that you or your team have managed to collect, be it images, videos, or statements made by witnesses or court documents. In most cases, easier said than done. There are a number of variables that determine the difficulty of verifying, say an image. The […]

Maps & the Open Source

2. December 2021 By Robin Taylor

Maps are, perhaps, the most common and important tool for any open source investigator. The reason for this is the versatility, simplicity, and effectiveness of using maps for gathering and visualizing information/evidence. For myself (Robin), it was also my introduction to OSINT with the Tibet Research Project and one of my first ever OSINT guides […]

Getting Started in Open Source Research

10. November 2021 By Robin Taylor

If you are new to the world of OSINT (OOSI, OSI, etc.) and are looking to get started, this is the guide for you. Published by Bellingcat, this comprehensive guide will help you get started and get a feel for what it means to do open source research. It also includes a many additional resources […]

OCCRP’s Aleph

10. November 2021 By Robin Taylor

When trying to find documents relevant to your investigation, it can be crucial to know where to look. One of the places to look for information is Aleph. Run by Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Aleph is one the most useful databases to look public records, leaks, you name it. Take a look […]

Verification Handbook

10. November 2021 By Robin Taylor

Verification is one of the single most important steps in an investigation. There will be other useful sources for verification added here, but a useful one to start off with is the Verification Handbook. Free online, this handbook provides you with the very basics of verification. Recommended to anyone just getting started or in a […]

Digital Witness

10. November 2021 By Robin Taylor

Digital Witness: Using Open Source Information for Human Rights Investigation, Documentation, and Accountability is a must-read for anyone new or old to the field of OSINT and human rights investigations. The book goes into great detail about a number of various tools and methodologies. It teaches you about the importance of verification and archiving. Written […]

Verification & Social Media

3. November 2021 By Robin Taylor

Verification is the practice or process in an investigation of confirming the accuracy or reliability of sources or content. A source could be a video, a picture, news story, social media post, etc. and the method of verification is dependent on your source. For example, if you have an image that you need to verify […]

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