In this big data world, how can you find the facts you need? Reliable and validated intelligence is crucial.
Andy Black Associates and Reuser Information Services have partnered to create training courses in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and Social Media Intelligence (SOCMINT). The training courses are taking place in London and The Hague during September and October.
The training courses are in high demand and for good reason. Data volumes are exploding. Every day organisations and individuals are creating, sharing and accessing data. Globally, more people are connected via smartphones and social networks than ever before. The Internet of Things is enabling machine to machine communication. More and more data is openly available.
Most people use Google for their research and only look at the first page of results. These are skewed by factors including SEO, astroturfing and the “right to be forgotten”. Besides, Google only indexes 20% of the web, so will produce only limited results. What about the Deep Web and Dark Web?
By 2020 there will be 50 billion connected devices globally and 44 trillion gigabytes of data. Machine learning on its own can’t address this challenge; you need to empower human intelligence. This has led to an increasing interest in both the discipline and the art of open source intelligence collection.
The OSINT and SOCMINT training courses are ideally suited for policy officers, analysts, researchers, librarians, information professionals, scientific researchers, journalists, investigative journalists, writers, historians, cybersecurity professionals, financial fraud and financial crime researchers, Insurance and risc researchers.
The tutor for the OSINT courses is Arno Reuser. He is a professional librarian and information scientist with more than 30 years experience in information handling and processing. He was the founder of the Open Source Intelligence Bureau for the Dutch Defense Intelligence and Security Service (DISS) and currently holds the position of Senior Policy Advisor for OSINT and Cyber at the Dutch Ministry of Defence.
Arno’s expertise is to design and use systems that can translate information requirements into actionable intelligence. Or, in other words, find pinpoint answers to questions, and to design and run training courses about this for govt and private sector clients.
The tutor for the SOCMINT course is Andy Black. He has over 25 years’ experience in the software and information services sector for companies including Perfect Information, Excalibur Technologies and Business Objects; and clients including Jane’s Information, Reuters and Clifford Chance. In 2005 he switched to marketing, PR and communications and has since been Head of Digital for a leading PR firm, managed Honda’s social media monitoring and directed social media campaigns for Vodafone. He is currently a specialist contractor to the UK Govt and trains diplomats at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in digital diplomacy.
The training course schedule is as follows:
SOCMINT training course 14th-15th Sept – The Hague
OSINT training course 20th-22nd Sept – London
SOCMINT training course 28th-29th Sept – London
OSINT training course 18th-20th Oct – The Hague
You can find out more and register for the training courses at: http://andyblackassociates.co.uk/training-courses/
