OSINT Workarounds to 5 Classic Investigation Roadblocks

While it’s hard to deny the utility of open data in investigative work, how to make the most of it is not so obvious. Investigators can’t become seasoned data analysts overnight, and the effort required to process information can even be counterproductive. The place where investigative work meets its technical counterpart, data analysis, can be a tricky area to navigate.

So for this piece we’ve teamed up with the Social Links Center of Excellence to pinpoint five common investigation challenges, and how SL Crimewall can address them. Discussing game-changing features across the functionality and interface, we’ll demonstrate how our latest OSINT solution, SL Crimewall, is set to bridge a frustrating technical gap for a lot of users.

Let’s jump in!

Roadblock #1: Information Overload

In terms of sheer data content, the internet is a colossus—140 Zettabytes and rising. While open data is a crucial resource for all kinds of investigative work, there’s just so much of it. This means that filtering out specific details you need and generating clear, actionable intelligence for further use, is a challenging and often very time-consuming process.

Equipped with 1700 search methods, SL Crimewall available tools allows users to zero in on the exact data they need from the online expanses. Combined with a user-friendly interface, data visualization options, and automated ML-driven features, organizing and making sense of data has never been easier. Meanwhile exporting your findings in a neat document just takes a couple of clicks.

Roadblock #2: Multisource Data Integration

For OSINT newcomers, mastering and jumping between the various available tools can be quite a challenge. When each platform requires a devoted solution—i.e. this one for Twitter, that one for Reddit, etc.—work processes can become disjointed, causing headaches, and making it much harder for the investigator to focus their attention. 

SL Crimewall channels 500+ open sources into a single solution, with endless ways to refine the extraction process. Whether you need data from social media, messengers, the Dark Web, blockchains, corporate registers, sanctions lists, language learning platforms, or review sites—and the list goes on—the tool has got you covered.

Roadblock #3: Resource Optimization

In investigative work, time is of the essence. Getting the data you need is one thing, but almost just as important is doing so in a timeframe that leaves you with some room for effective thought processes and decision-making. The more bogged-down an investigator gets in the routine side of the work, the slower the case progresses.

A revolutionary, time-saving SL Crimewall feature is ‘Scripts’. These are predefined chains of searches that cluster a series of actions into one. Users can apply and modify in-built scripts, or create their own from scratch. While similar software requires coding to do these things, SL Crimewall employs a user-friendly, drag-and-drop approach. Super-easy, super-helpful.

Roadblock #4: Availability of Specialists

Expertise is invaluable, but each investigator tends to have their unique focus. While this is beneficial for specific tasks, LEAs often face diverse cases requiring the expertise of a range of specialists. This poses a significant challenge for many departments, as specialists are in high demand and can’t be everywhere at once. SL Crimewall addresses this challenge in two ways:

Lowering the Entry Barrier. SL Crimewall’s no-nonsense operability and intuitive design allow less experienced analysts to use its powerful features. This paves the way for a faster learning curve, meaning that agencies can save resources in personnel training.  

Shareable Custom Scripts. Aside from saving time, scripts are also an incredible way to maximize the know-how of the more experienced specialists through the easy sharing of complex investigation approaches. This capability helps bridge the gap in technical skills allowing novice users to execute demanding tasks and learn more quickly.

Roadblock #5: Finding Leads

While information may be readily available, transforming this data into actionable intelligence is the crux of effective investigative work, and one which is multifaceted. Many obstacles to case resolution lie in over-complicated data visualization, which muddies the informational picture, resulting in less effective decisions.  

SL Crimewall at the data from different angles, often revealing offers numerous functions that facilitate case progression. The visualization options enable analysts to come at the data from different angles, which can often reveal illuminating patterns. Furthermore, SL Crimewall’s massive suite of search methods allows data sets to be sculpted into the precise picture required, to cut through the informational noise.

So there you have it! Five common investigation roadblocks that SL Crimewall can help anyone get around:

• Too much data? You’ll find all the data extraction and analysis tools you need.
• Too many sources? All are channeled into a single functionality.
• Things are taking too long? Write some scripts.
• Too few specialists? Anyone can use the solution and scripts can be shared.
• Leads proving elusive? Change the view to see new patterns.