This is my research blog
In here you will find some examples of articles and reports I have published. You can also find more on my social media platforms where I regularly small findings and larger pieces of research.
When the Lights Go Out, Satellites Are Watching
Dark Light Viewer is a new free open source tool that lets anyone track how cities, conflict zones, developments and communities change at night over time. On 7 October 2023, the Gaza Strip still showed up from space as a thin, familiar band of electric light along the Mediterranean. By early January 2024, much of that glow had gone. 84% of Gaza's nighttime light had vanished. Whether you interpret that change as grid damage, fuel scarcity, displacement, curfews,[...]
Mind Games – How hacking perceptions is becoming a weapon of choice for online warfare
NOTE: This piece was originally published in the E-Zine HVCK. You can see that original version here. There was a time when I’d open my phone first thing in the morning, not to read messages from family, work, or to do my morning meditation, but to read the Twitter feeds of a middle-aged male called Marco and a Sikh female called Nupur Kaur. At least, that’s what ‘they’ pretended to be, and despite the interactions they had on[...]
Geolocating a Plane Shot Down in Ethiopia – Case Studies on Mountain Profiling with PeakVisor
Through the use of publicly available satellite imagery, open source investigative techniques, and a bit of creativity, we can find where and when a photo or video was taken. But sometimes, geolocating footage comes with unique challenges - all of which differ depending on the country, landscape, availability of data, or the quality of the footage you are trying to geolocate. In these case studies we look at the geolocation of footage in remote environments, and how Google[...]
Inside a BJP Influence Operation Targeting West Bengali Politics
Political campaigning in India is on the rise as the West Bengali elections near, and so are the mass information campaigns to promote agendas, discredit opposition, and skew narratives. All of this activity has the overarching goal to win the hearts and minds of voters and discredit the opposition through social media manipulation. This case looks at one recent campaign that was waged on social media platforms which saw a hashtag boosted to one of the highest in[...]
Twitter Analysis: Identifying a Pro-BJP Copypasta Influence Operation in India
A Pro-BJP and Pro-Modi network of Twitter accounts are attempting to influence the narrative of politically sensitive topics in India with newly created accounts posting the same text and amplifying specific hashtags. The content amplified is supportive of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by India Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The influence operation attempts to artificially distort the narrative on issues such as the farmers' debate and discredit opposing parties. This is not the first time Pro-BJP content[...]
Geospatial awareness: how to add geodata to Google Earth Pro & four datasets you should try
This post is a list of geospatial datasets to drag into Google Earth Pro, such as NASA daily fires and Wikimapia. I have found these useful in conflict analysis and routine geolocation work as they boost what information is achievable with the Google Earth Pro platform. Google Earth Pro is great when it is contains useful geotagged data, whether it be through custom-made satellite imagery annotations (such as powerline markings over Libya for geolocation purposes) or geospatial data[...]