The open-source intelligence platform Osiris has been added to GitHub.
Developed by a user known as simplifaisoul, Osiris functions as a real-time operational dashboard, or War Room. The system aggregates large volumes of open geospatial data and visualizes them on a single interactive map.
The main difference between this project and corporate products like Palantir is its low server hardware requirements.
According to the platform’s README file, the backend can be deployed on a regular laptop using Docker (image size is about 220 MB) or Node.js. All heavy computational tasks are performed client-side, directly in the user’s browser. Thanks to GPU acceleration and rendering via WebGL, the developer achieved a stable 60 FPS even when displaying thousands of dynamic objects simultaneously.
More than 15 switchable data layers are available for monitoring, including:
- Transport: ADS-B (aviation) and AIS (maritime) systems data for tracking routes worldwide;
- Satellite monitoring: Integration with NASA’s FIRMS ecological system. Although designed for detecting wildfires, OSINT specialists successfully use it to identify thermal anomalies and potential explosions in conflict zones;
- Infrastructure and ecology: Maps of major underwater internet cables, seismic activity, and air quality.
In addition to the map, Osiris includes the RECON Toolkit, a set of network reconnaissance tools: a TCP port scanner with service fingerprinting, full DNS record resolution, WHOIS, SSL inspection, and vulnerability scanning. This transforms the platform from a simple visualization tool into a full-fledged workstation.
Despite the scale of the data provided, Osiris does not require a paid subscription. First, the platform does not generate its own data but collects information from free public APIs (from NASA satellites to open amateur radio databases). Second, the developer incurs no server maintenance costs: all computations and map rendering occur locally, using the CPU and GPU resources of the user’s device.
What is Palantir and Why is it Important?
Historically, Palantir’s two main products are the Foundry and Gotham platforms. Foundry is used by the corporate sector for managing global supply chains and business operations. Gotham is positioned as an intelligence-analytical platform primarily aimed at governments and law enforcement.
Developed for counterterrorism and defense tasks, the Gotham platform has become a standard tool for the CIA, FBI, NSA, and various U.S. Army units. The budgets of these agencies are impressive: since 2014, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement has spent about $287 million on contracts with Palantir. In 2021, the U.S. Army awarded the company an $823 million contract to create a data intelligence system (Capability Drop 2).
Despite its clear benefits and convenience, Osiris is a dual-use technology. On one hand, the platform provides a powerful analytical tool for independent OSINT researchers, journalists, and human rights activists. On the other, the same unified, convenient, and anonymous “command post” can be used by hacker groups or malicious actors for planning attacks and reconnaissance.
The release of Osiris highlighted the dilemma of the open data era: a colossal amount of sensitive information has always been online. Until now, the average user lacked a convenient interface to piece this picture together.
In May, the Mayor of London blocked a Palantir deal with the police.
