Organizing gathered information
While an OSINT enthusiast may be adept at data collection, he or she will never develop the necessary data organization skills and tools to become a true professional.
There are numerous methods for storing data, including basic text files or notes. However, using text files is impractical, as when there is a large amount of data, it becomes unmanageable. Features desirable for OSINT data management include the ability to export and backup, as well as visualize data. Consider the following examples and their disadvantages:
- Simple Notes Apps (unmanageable when dealing with a large amount of data)
- Evernote (useful when paid for)
- Notion (notes cannot be accessed offline)
- Joplin (inconvenient organization for large projects)
- Obsidian.md Obsidian.md (a bit tricky to master)
Let's take a look at Obsidian.md, because, while it's a little tough to get started with, it contains all the desirable features.
Obsidian.md is a cross-platform, free application for organizing notes stored in markup (.md) files. Although the notes are stored on your computer, there is a premium option for syncing, which is superfluous given that you can backup using any online storage service, the Syncthing software, or Git. I strongly recommend saving the data in a Git repository in order to retain a history of modifications and to collaborate with your team efficiently.
