Center for Collaborative Investigative JournalismCenter for Collaborative Investigative Journalism
Journalists can’t be everywhere. So sometimes we rely on technology to find verifiable information on our behalf. And guess what? There are open source tools that can help journalists effectively investigate people and companies, including tracking commercial aircraft and cargo ships or satellite imagery to confirm locations in photos and videos. But many journalists are unaware of these tools. Open-source intelligence is the data collected from open source and analyzed to produce actionable intelligence.
This two-part session will introduce some of these web tools to journalists and show them how they can use the tools to undertake computer-assisted investigation. NOTE: Attendees need reliable internet for successful in-session practice for both sessions.
During part 1, attendees will be led through various sections of selected aircraft and ship tracking websites and learn how they can launch a query about flight and voyage history. Led by CCIJ Africa Editor Ajibola Azmat, this session will highlight open source tools such as Flight Radar 24 (Live monitoring of airlines), Flight Aware, ADB-S Exchange, Vessel Finder, Marine Traffic, Comtrade, Open Records and Ng-Checks. Hands-on practice using these tools with immediate feedback will be provided during this session.
By the end of this session, attendees will be confident to track information on a global map such as origins and destination, flight numbers, aircraft types, position, altitudes, heading and speed. They will also be able to identify IMO ship identification numbers, latest position of vessels, voyage information and vessel photos. They will also be able to see how satellite imagery and social media research could help them in their reporting.
Part 1: Tuesday, May 9, 2023
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM West Africa Time /
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM US Eastern Time
Virtual via Zoom
Free
Africa Editor, CCIJ
Ajibola Amzat is the Africa Editor at the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ), a US-based nonprofit newsroom that convenes and leads global investigations. He specializes in Investigative and Data Journalism.
Until November 2022, he was the managing editor at the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) where he led several investigative projects funded by National Endowment Democracy (NED), Institute for War and Peace Reporting, MacArthur Foundation, Centre for Democracy and Development, and others.
He had previously worked with The Guardian newspapers, the flagship of Nigerian print journalism, and rose to the position of Features Editor before joining ICIR in 2018.
After a compulsory one-year National Youth Service, he started his journalism career in 1998 with Mid-week Spring, a community newspaper in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria, covering courts and education.
He also worked as energy correspondent with Nigeria Energy Digest, publisher of a specialised magazine in the oil and gas sector between October 2006 and July 2007 when he later joined The Guardian as a general assignment senior reporter.
He had also freelanced for online newspapers in South Africa, United Kingdom and the US.
A graduate of Mass Communication University of Lagos (UNILAG), Amzat obtained postgraduate degrees in Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University (South Africa); and Data Journalism at Columbia School of Journalism (US). He also received a master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy at UNILAG and completed his MBA at the Quantic School of Business and Technology in Washington, D.C. (US).