Acquisition and preparation of data for OSINT investigations

Underpinning all open-source intelligence investigations is data. Without data there is nothing to build upon, to combine, to analyse or draw conclusions from. This chapter outlines some of the processes an investigator can undertake to obtain data from open sources as well as methods for the preparation of this data into usable formats for further analysis. First, it discusses the reasons for needing to collect data from open sources. Secondly, it introduces different types of data that may be encountered including unstructured and structured data sources and where to obtain such data. Thirdly, it reviews methods for information extraction—the first step in preparing data for further analysis. Finally, it covers some of the privacy, legal and ethical good practices that should be adhered to when accessing, interrogating and using open source data.