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Conflict Monitoring in Data-Scarce Environments (2 hours) Price: EUR 175

Tuesday, Oct 27, 2026 at 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM EDT

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Event Information

Tuesday, Oct 27, 2026 at 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM EDT

Conflict Monitoring in Data-Scarce Environments: An Open-Source Introduction Focused on Africa

2h online training 

27 October 2026, 12 - 2 pm EDT New York time/ 5 - 7 pm CET Amsterdam time

Price: EUR 175

Would you like to learn practical open-source methods for monitoring and analysing conflict in data-scarce environments across Africa, with a particular focus on the Sahel and Sudan, how to verify incidents in areas with limited or inconsistent information, use satellite and fire-detection data to identify activity on the ground, and combine these findings with structured datasets such as ACLED to understand broader conflict dynamics? 

If the answer to those questions is ‘yes’, this webinar is for you. 

Through hands-on demonstrations, you will explore how satellite imagery, geospatial tools, and social media monitoring can be used to investigate military activity, airstrikes, attacks, and population movements in challenging information environments. The workshop will also discuss the limitations of OSINT and the importance of local context and source verification.

What you’ll learn: 

By the end of the session, you will be able to:

  • Locate and verify places using GeoNames, OpenStreetMap, and related geospatial tools.
  • Download and visualise NASA FIRMS fire-detection data.
  • Analyse Sentinel and Planet satellite imagery to identify changes on the ground.
  • Combine satellite imagery, fire data, and ACLED datasets to map incidents and identify trends.
  • Monitor social media and messaging platforms safely while applying basic OPSEC principles.
  • Recognise the limitations of OSINT and the importance of local knowledge and contextual understanding.

Experience level:

This webinar is suitable for beginner-to-intermediate OSINT practitioners, journalists, analysts, and researchers seeking practical methods for monitoring and verifying conflict developments in Africa's data-scarce environments.

Logistics: 

The webinar will be led by experienced Bellingcat researchers who will guide you through the material. They have extensive open source research experience and are passionate about sharing their knowledge with you. 

Zoom webinar joining details will be shared with participants in the week before the training. 

Not ready for this level yet:

In case you think you’re not ready to join this webinar, please check our website for upcoming training better matching your needs.

Cancellation policy

You will be registered as a participant only after we have received full payment of the workshop fee;

If you cancel your registration up to one week before the start of the workshop, you will be refunded the total workshop fee, minus EUR 50 +VAT and fees administrative costs;

If you cancel within six to two days before the start of the workshop, you will be reimbursed 50% of the workshop fee. If we are able to replace you with a waiting list candidate, then the total fee minus EUR 50 +VAT and fees administrative costs will be refunded.

If you cancel less than 2 days before the workshop we will not refund the fee. 

About Organizer

Stichting Bellingcat Organizer name

www.bellingcat.com

Bellingcat is an international collective of researchers and citizen journalists using digital verifiable information to investigate a broad range of topics and uncover wrongdoing. Our research is based on facts and evidence and we publish articles with the aim to find objective truth and advance justice, transparency and accountability. We cooperate, share and train others to spread our knowledge, build networks and expand the online open source community.

Contact the Organizer

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Bellingcat?

Bellingcat began by analyzing footage of chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian civil war back in 2014. In recent years we have worked on covering various topics from civilian harm in Ukraine,  through wildlife trafficking in South East Asia, the recruitment of child soldiers in Africa to the luxurious life of Kinahan cartel leaders living openly in Dubai despite an international manhunt. 

We turn that same curiosity into a teachable research skill. Combined with practical knowledge of techniques and tools, that's what this workshop teaches you to do.
How do you screen participants?

We manually approve all applications after registration. We do basic due diligence checks on our participants to be sure that our trainers and all other participants are comfortable with their participation. Members of any police, military or intelligence service are not permitted registration at our workshops, and we allow government employees to join on a case-by-case basis.

Bellingcat reserves the right not to disclose the reasons for declining participation.

That said, the vast majority of participants are approved without any issue.
Who usually attends your workshops?

We have a pretty interesting mix of participants at our trainings. Between a third to a half come from private companies or the corporate world. Among those, we have plenty of information security researchers, corporate security investigators, lawyers, due diligence experts, and other professions. Journalists are the next-most popular profession for our workshops, and then we have a mix of human rights/NGO researchers, academics and students, and even retirees just curious about what this whole OSINT thing is all about.
Can I get an invoice?

In case you need an invoice, please send us an email to workshops@bellingcat.com. 
Can I receive a certificate for the workshops?

Sure! Just email us (workshops@bellingcat.com) after the workshop, and we’ll send you a PDF certificate.
Can I receive a recording of a workshop?

We do not record our workshops, or allow others to record them. However, we do provide copies of our training slides to participants after the completion of the training for their personal reference.
Can I gift a workshop seat to someone else?

Sure! We have had quite a few people buy workshop attendance for a loved one as a birthday or Christmas gift. Just let us know the name of the person who you are buying the seat for when registration so that we can do a basic due diligence check on them (see the Screening section up above). Feel free to email us at workshops@bellingcat.com to make sure we have their proper contact details so they get all of the invitation information on time.