ArmsControlWonk

Podcast · Thread

Open-source sleuthing

How the team and friends find things with satellite images, photos and other public data.

21 episodes

Methods and tools 8

  1. Detecting Missile Launches with Ionospheric Disturbances

    Tyler Nighswander and Mike Nute have developed an incredible tool for detecting long-range missile and space launches by processing and visualizing ionospheric…

    37 min

  2. Saving the World with Datayo

    Melissa Hanham, director of Datayo and Deputy Director of the Open Nuclear Network, joins Jeffrey and Scott to talk about Datayo, a…

    45 min

  3. Visualizations and Verification

    James Palmer of the UK’s Atomic Weapons Establishment joins the ACW trio to talk about the importance of 3D modelling and data…

    34 min

  4. When Open Source Goes Wrong

    We love open source. We talk about it all of the time. But it went wrong – like really wrong – in…

    31 min

  5. Geospatial Analysis and the Serial Podcast

    We love Serial. But what does it have to with arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament – nothing, really. So why talk about…

    61 min

  6. Monitoring Missile Proliferation with Open Source Tools

    How does Jeffrey find time to podcast? He has super talented staff to do the real work! Jeffrey talks with Melissa Hanham…

    28 min

  7. Open Source Verification

    How can open source information help verify arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation agreements? Jeffrey and Aaron talk with the NTI’s Corey Hinderstein.…

    36 min

  8. Open Source and Arms Control

    How has open source impacted arms control and nonproliferation research? How has work done by the likes of Eliot Higgins impacted our…

    31 min

Finding hidden sites 8

  1. Kim Jong Un’s Excellent Adventure

    Sam Lair joins the podcast to talk about Kim Jong Un’s recent whirlwind tour of the North Korean Defense Industrial Base with…

    57 min

  2. Diamond Tempest in a Teapot

    In 2018, the US and the UAE conducted a joint military exercise called Diamond Tempest. While looking through still images and videos…

    40 min

  3. Tracking the PLA Rocket Forces

    The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Forces used to be a nearly opaque organization to all but a few open-source researchers. Now, increased…

    34 min

  4. From Bone Saws to Ballistic Missiles

    Satellite images taken by Planet Labs appear to show that Saudi Arabia has constructed a plant to manufacture solid propellant ballistic missiles.…

    35 min

  5. North Korea’s Expanding Missile Base

    The CNS OSINT team did it again. While doing what one does on the weekend, looking at DPRK missile bases, Jeffrey and…

    35 min

  6. South Korean Missile Tracking

    In today’s podcast, Aaron and Jeffrey discuss the geolocation work that underpinned Jeffrey’s research for his novel and how open source investigations…

    22 min

  7. North Korea’s New Old Enrichment Site: Kangson

    KANGSON.  We have the (probable) location of North Korea’s original enrichment site: Kangson, now called Chollima. This is probably the spot where…

    41 min

  8. Iranian ICBMs, Shahrud, and an Important Safety Lesson

    This is a full end-to-end OSINT episode, buckle up.  Using satellite imagery, SAR data, Farsi-language television coverage, one rocket scientist’s favorite color,…

    45 min

Shootdowns, explosions and mystery launches 5

  1. Israeli Rocket Motor Test

    On April 20, an Israeli twitter user posted a video of a large smoky cloud to his Twitter account with the comment…

    18 min

  2. Mysterious Explosions in Iran

    In a cross-over podcast with FPRI’s Middle East Brief, Aaron speaks with Fabian Hinz, a frequent guest on the podcast, about the…

    24 min

  3. Investigating PS752 with Open-Source Intelligence

    After the Iranian ballistic missile raid on U.S. forces in Iraq, the IRGC appears to have accidentally shot down a Ukrianian airliner…

    32 min

  4. Russia’s Crashing Cruise Missile

    Back in March, Putin said that Russia has been testing a nuclear-powered cruise missile and showed a little bit of video footage.…

    30 min

  5. Open Source and the MH17 Shootdown

    What open source information is out there about the MH17 shootdown? Do the rebels have the Buk missile system that reportedly downed…

    48 min