October 19-20: How to Use PeakVisor in Open Source Investigations [Webinar]

Our tech fellow Sophie Tedling is offering two free webinars on PeakVisor, a powerful 3D mapping tool that can be used in open source investigations, on October 19 and 20. You can sign up for the first session or attend both days — day two will include more advanced geolocation work building on day one. Details to sign up are at the bottom of this page.

Day One: How to Drive PeakVisor

When: Thursday, 19 October at 12:00 BST, 13:00 CET, 7:00 ET
Duration: Four hours, including breaks

Whether you’re a beginner or an expert at geolocation, there is a lot to learn about the PeakVisor tool. New functionality is regularly being added now that it is being developed specifically for open source investigations with input from the research community.

While PeakVisor began as a specialist tool for identifying mountain geography, its 3D mapping capabilities can be invaluable in open source investigations where even Google’s host of mapping tools don’t provide all the required information. This is especially true for research in urban and remote areas with steep terrains, valleys, or other natural inclines. It has since grown into a powerful tool capable of pushing the boundaries of what’s currently possible for geolocation while using widely accessible data feeds and hardware. 

This free, intensive webinar will take you step by step through what PeakVisor offers. Interactive exercises will help you think about practical problems, you will work with PeakVisor online alongside a tutor, who will help you get comfortable with the user interface through practising real geolocations.

Day Two: How and When to Use PeakVisor for Geolocation

When: Friday, 20 October at 12:00 BST, 13:00 CET, 7:00 ET
Duration: Four hours, including breaks

Selecting the right tools for a geolocation challenge can be a dilemma for researchers. Getting that choice right can save time and sometimes mean the difference between success and failure. 

The Google suite of tools – Google Maps, Google Earth Web and Google Earth Pro – are often the de facto starting point in geolocation research, but it’s important to know where and when other tools are needed. This highly interactive tutorial session looks at the 3D mapping application PeakVisor in the wider context as one of a class of geolocation tools, and examines when and how to incorporate PeakVisor into open source research strategies. The small group tutorial format is designed to ensure that participants can share and compare experiences using in-depth case studies for group work.

The session is designed to equip open source researchers with the knowledge to select appropriate geolocation tools and to use them together as part of an integrated approach to deliver results with accuracy and confidence.

Prerequisites (prepare before the webinar): 

• Download and install Zoom
• Download and install the latest version of Google Earth Pro on your laptop
• Bookmark PeakVisor in your browser of choice
• Read Sophie Tedling’s Bellingcat article “More Than Mountaineering: Using PeakVisor for Geolocation”

Considerations (to think about before the webinar): 

• Using a mouse will be far easier than using a touchpad or touchscreen
• Using two screens, one for trying out tools like PeakVisor & Google Earth and one for the Zoom call, will be easier than using a single screen

How to apply:

• The webinars are free, but we ask those who are interested to fill out a survey about their use of open source research tools. If you are part of the tech community, you can alternately fill out a survey about your tool development needs and experiences. 
• Open source researchers can sign up by filling out a survey here.
• Those with the technical skills to build tools can sign up by filling out a survey here.

We will select the participants for both events from those who provide an e-mail address when filling out one of the surveys. Good luck!