Galen and our wider tech team have built many tools that are now regularly used by Bellingcat researchers and other newsrooms. One such tool is the Shadow Finder tool, built alongside @gaborfriesen.bsky.social , that @georainbolt.bsky.social tested out last year. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQIj...

Despite the fact that I haven't been making any new guides, some of which were written together with @gaborfriesen.bsky.social, in relation to applying OSINT techniques in the Middle East for a while, it always warms my heart when people from the region use these to learn these skills themselves.

If 1 isn’t enough or if Chris’s time gets filled up, same

Vehicle identification: If any journalists here ever struggle to identify (military) vehicles on (relatively) low-resolution sat imagery, please let me know. I'm testing a new identification method. Too busy to find cases right now, but if anyone already has a case, I'd love to help and see.

Just clicked a link in an NOS (dutch news) article expecting to go to X but actually ended up on Bluesky, nice surprise.

Another tool idea: OSINT Mental Health: An extension that uses CNNs to draw bounding boxes around humans in videos (models for this already exist), before automatically blocking out the areas in those bounding boxes. Reduces the amount of graphic content that researchers face in conflict videos.

Since 7 October 2023, CIR has verified over 1,300 incidents across Gaza, Lebanon & Israel, documenting destruction, casualties & violations using over 9,100 pieces of data. Explore our open-source map to uncover the trends and stories behind the numbers ⬇️

We tried to geolocate the 2012 video of Austin Tice. In the process, we realised that it was most likely created right next to a Syrian military base. medium.com/@gaborfriese... (a comprehensive write-up of our recent thread)

Austin Tice kidnapping video valley geolocation. Local confirmation is needed. The video of Austin Tice in 2012 shows few details. But in the Bellingcat discord, we think we have identified the specific valley at 33.511, 36.007. Damascus-based journalists could help investigate this further (1/8).

Advanced Solar Geolocation Tutorial: For everyone who works with geolocation or chronolocation, I wrote a guide for new method to locate images based only on the time and *a part* of a shadow. In this scenario, object heights and full shadows are not necessary anymore. medium.com/@gaborfriese...

A shot in the dark for those with a coding background who have free time (I'm jealous): Previously, Bellingcat and I published the shadow finder tool. However, further development is possible. The theory is there, just not the code. Therefore, I'll put forward this problem for anyone interested.

Considering the fact that I suddenly have 3000 new followers, maybe a short introduction is in order. Hey people, I’m Gabòr. Originally a geo-/chronolocation enthusiast with a focus on Israel/Palestine. I don’t post much these days, but when i do, you’ll mostly see my ideas for new OSINV methods.

> gets told to check bluesky (haven’t been online in a couple days because of the weekend so sure) > sees “30+ notifications” in the bottom right??? Good list though, highly recommend following the others on it if you’re not following them yet.

The shadow in an image can be the key to narrowing down your geolocation. Bellingcat’s new Shadow Finder Tool helps by automating the process- searching the globe for matching shadow angles to provide clues about where an image was taken. www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...

Geolocating an image using the shadows? The Bellingcat Shadow Finder Tool makes this possible! Bellingcat's Galen Reich and Bellingcat Discord member Gabor Friesen spoke to Rainbolt and explained the tool. Find the tool on the Bellingcat Github and give it a try!

4 hostages rescued amid nearly 4 hours of airstrikes. Our Visual Forensics investigation reconstructs the Israeli hostage rescue raid in Nuseirat, Gaza in which a vehicle broke down, a commander was shot, a family was home raided, and so many Palestinians were killed. Watch here wapo.st/4di8P1F

Another Monday, another episode, for six years already! H/T: @bellingcat.com @gralhix.bsky.social @gaborfriesen.bsky.social sector035.nl/articles/202...

PSA: don’t view extreme violence unless absolutely required for a specific job task. If absolutely required, engage in harm reduction. Violence is like toxic waste: something to be avoided, contained, and remediated. 1/x

My and @gaborfriesen.bsky.social geolocation of the precise location of the explosion on Salah al-Din street was used by FT and Airwars, as well as munitions experts, to provide new evidence that points to IDF weapons as blasts hit multiple cars along main road south. www.ft.com/content/95c5...

An analysis of available social media footage for the Washington Post together with Evan Hill, Joyce Lee, and Sarah Cahlan shows how Hamas took at least 106 hostages. Out of those 106 hostages, 64 were confirmed to have been transported to Gaza. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

Geolocated (reportedly) Hamas fighters in Ashkelon, 07/10/2023 Source: t.me/milinfolive/... Coordinates: (31.6679755, 34.5707355) Proof: maps.app.goo.gl/7v3qSF8NgZJK...

While our efforts have garnered attention, including collaborations with esteemed international news outlets, the true measure of fulfillment lies in empowering the formidable team at @alhaq.bsky.social with the data that @gaborfriesen.bsky.social and I have been collecting endlessly in Palestine.

Geolocated Israeli soldiers moving into Jenin, 19/09/2023. Coordinates: 32.46293738898866, 35.288196598921125 Source: t.me/a7rarjeninn/32… Proof:

Geolocated Israeli soldiers shooting at Journalists near Jabalia, 17/09/2023. Coordinates: 31.5042565, 34.5219384 Source: t.me/jmediapal/68... Proof (h/t @chrisosieck.bsky.social for the screenshots)

We are honored to have collaborated with @bellingcat.com on two events that happened during Israel’s July raid in Jenin. Give @gaborfriesen.bsky.social and @annonemo.bsky.social a follow. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/08/02/jenin-open-source-insights-on-israels-july-raids/

Proving a negative, how geolocation principles and 3D modelling can be combined to more easily debunk mis/disinformation. https://medium.com/@gaborfriesen/proving-a-negative-a-geolocation-based-modeling-methodology-for-false-geographically-based-claims-f32722398851

Keeping on with working on the footage of the recent Israeli raid on Jenin with @gaborfriesen.bsky.social. Important videos, which include killings and airstrikes, have already been documented in our database.

Geolocated 3 murdered Palestinians lying behind a car during the raid in Jenin this week. Coordinates: 32.4596188, 35.2910458 Source: https://t.me/directorate4/16329 Proof: https://www.govmap.gov.il/?c=227641.58,707275.29&z=11&b=1&sb=16

Being busy with what happened recently in Jenin also reminded me that almost a year ago, @gaborfriesen.bsky.social and I geolocated the first video there on this map which was an Israeli military convoy moving from Jalameh checkpoint to the refugee camp, to conduct a raid.

“Our camp, Our camp💔” Israeli Bulldozer destroys a main road on the edge of Jenin RC in what looks like a potential repeat of the Battle of Jenin. Coordinates: 32.4625940, 35.2875954 Source: https://t.me/jeninqassam/58133 Proof:

Our collaboration with Al-Haq’s Forensic Architecture Unit lead to the launch of an interactive platform that describes two Israeli military raids in Jenin RC and Nablus: https://raids.alhaq.org

With WaPo, we analyzed an incident during a raid on Nablus that left two Palestinians dead and discovered that troops shot at least 14 times in four seconds while civilians would have been visible. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2023/palestine-shooting-nablus-videos/

Before that, we provided geolocation-data for Al Jazeera to produce a documentary film about Israeli military tactics. https://www.aljazeera.net/news/2023/5/8/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%b9%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%a5%d8%b3%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%a6%d9%8a%d9%84-%d9%81%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%b7%d9%8a%d9%86

The latest, Gabòr and I, did with CNN on the Huwara pogrom. Our investigation found that, not only did Israeli forces fail to stop the riots, they did not protect Palestinians residents during the settler attack. https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/15/middleeast/huwara-west-bank-settler-attack-cmd-intl