These briefings were commissioned by the Ministry of Defense in Italy and delivered over two days with independent official briefings from Carol Dumaine, then the active leader of the Global Futures Partnership Initiative (GFP).
For his constant demonstration of the utility of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) in the understanding of social networks, emerging technologies, and cultural realities. As a world-renowned authority on information and communications, with a deep understanding of the public policy value of open source information, he has made himself available around the world, and had much more influence than most realize. His publication of the book, “The Google Legacy,” is a mere milestone in one of the most distinguished information careers in the world.
Dr. Ran Hock has done more than any single individual to educate both government and private sector parties with respect to the value of the deep web. He has single-handedly trained hundreds of individuals in the nuances of this major new intelligence resource base. Emphasizing individual analytic skills and common sense rather than arcane expensive and generally unproductive technologies, he represents the intersection of integrity, intelligence, and intuition in the service of all legitimate governments and organizations.
The Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) revolution began in 1988, and one could say that the Internet revolution began to sweep seriously into government in 1993 or so, that is the year that both DDCI Bill Studeman and Robert Steele both got emails and websites. Dr. Ran Hock has been “the” online access trainer of choice for the multinational audience choosing to attend the annual conferences, and the handbooks he created, new each year, have been prized references.
Below is his presentation to OSS '03 (actually just the summary), and on the right, click on the Frog to go to the current up-to-date OSINT Handbook Online that he maintains.
PLATINUM Lifetime Award Mr. Stephen E. Arnold
For his constant demonstration of the utility of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) in the understanding of social networks, emerging technologies, and cultural realities. As a world-renowned authority on information and communications, with a deep understanding of the public policy value of open source information, he has made himself available around the world, and had much more influence than most realize. His publication of the book, “The Google Legacy,” is a mere milestone in one of the most distinguished information careers in the world.
Stephen E. Arnold has been the virtual Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for OSS and EIN all these years, as a pro bono contribution. He has also been the architect behind FirstGov and GovUSA, and is now supporting efforts by Medard Gabel to build the World Brain as EarthGame. Below is his contribution OSS '02.
PLATINUM Lifetime Award, Mr. Mats Bjore, Sweden
There is no other person who has created a national open source intelligence capability, with recognition from the Royal War Academy for doing so; then gone on to rationalize McKinsey knowledge management in the Nordic region, then created the foremost international commercial intelligence practice in InfoSphere AB, and concluded with the creation of Silobreaker, a combination of sources and tools that takes the information industry to a new level. Mats Bjore is the ultimate Long Range Reconnaissance Philosopher-Warrior.
Then Major Bjore came to the 1992 conference, absorbed all he could, and returned to Sweden to create the first military open source unit of consequence. He has been the originator and primary international practitioner of Commercial Intelligence, which is an order of magnitude more holistic, substantive, and profitable than Competitive Intelligence or worse, Business Intelligence (internal data mining). While OSS.Net, Inc. retains all rights to the sales phrase “Information costs money, Intelligence makes money,” Mats Bjore and InfoSphere have epitomized the concept in their being. He is also a principal in the creation of SILOBREAKER, follow the Frog to experience that free online analytic toolkit. Below is his contribution to OSS '02.
When Jan Herring, former National Intelligence Office (NIO) for Science & Technology, and co-founder of the Academy of Comptetitive Intelligence, wants an information broker as a partner for a complex assignment, Ms. Bonnie Hohhof is who he turns to.
Although dated, the below presentation is a model for what analysts should be thinking about as they assemble off-the-shelf tools to make up for the severe deficiencies still extant in the world of government “cut and paste” hard-copy analytics.