S-OSINT: Spatial Open Source Intelligence in the Age of Mis- and Disinformation

Birgit Schippers (Strathclyde Law School) and Annalisa Riccardi (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) are hosting a two-day workshop on Spatial Open Source Intelligence (S-OSINT) in the Age of Mis- and Disinformation.

The aim of the workshop, which will include participants from the UK, Germany and Italy, is to develop an interdisciplinary research programme that will deliver a best practice framework for the use of S-OSINT.  The workshop also seeks to foster cross-sector collaborations with external partners, including international governmental and non-governmental organisations, legal professionals, and SMEs.

Specifically, we will discuss the challenges that misinformation and disinformation pose to the trustworthiness of spatial open-source intelligence when used as evidence in the context of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Through a focus on the legal, ethical and engineering challenges of S-OSINT, the workshop will consider what best practice in the use of S-OSINT in legal contexts should look like.

Workshop details:

When: 3 and 4 December 2025

Where: Strathclyde Business School, Room SW108

The workshop is funded by the University of Strathclyde's Institutional Funding for Research Culture Award, Cultures of Collaborative Research (Wellcome Trust).