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7Analytica and manual OSINT
Manual open-source research is an analyst working through public material by hand: imagery, records, posts and reports. 7Analytica does not replace that skill. It keeps the reporting side in a structured, dated record. In plain words: how this way of working differs from 7Analytica, and when to pick which.
Read About this comparison
A different job, set out the same way every time
Manual open-source research is an analyst working through public material by hand: imagery, records, posts and reports. 7Analytica does not replace that skill. It keeps the reporting side in a structured, dated record.
A different job Reviewed 1 October 2026
01 What each is for
Two different jobs.
Read What each is for, in full
What manual osint work are for
An analyst investigates one case in depth using material anyone can lawfully see. Typical methods include geolocating a photo, reading public registers, tracing accounts and cross-checking reports. The strength is depth and judgement on a single case.
What 7Analytica is for
Holding the reporting side of a case in one place: which reports carry a claim, which came first, how each is framed and what was edited. It applies the same scoring to every claim so cases can be compared.
02 Side by side
Seven points, one at a time.
Read The full table, what it leaves out and where 7Analytica fits
Seven points, compared plainly
| Point | Manual OSINT work | 7Analytica |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Choose sources and methods case by case. | The same six steps and the same score inputs for every claim. |
| Strength | Depth on one case, including imagery and records. | Consistency and a trail across many reports. |
| Chain of custody | Depends on how carefully the analyst keeps notes and archives. | Each claim keeps its chain of custody, and a sealed dossier fixes content and time. |
| Scale | Limited by hours. A few cases at a time. | Handles a stream of reports, within the limits of one sector and English text. |
| Imagery and geolocation | Central to the work. | Not offered. |
| Public records and registers | Searched directly. | Not offered. |
| Reproducibility | Possible if every step is documented, which takes discipline. | Every score lists its inputs, so another person can redo the arithmetic. |
What it leaves out
Not faults. Each of these is outside what manual osint work are for, and it is where a second kind of tool can help.
- Notes drift from sources
- Spreadsheets and folders lose the link between a statement and where it came from, and the time it was seen.
- Hard to compare across cases
- Each case is judged by its own standard, so a reader cannot tell whether two conclusions were reached the same way.
- Time limits coverage
- Tracing every repeat of a claim by hand is slow, so analysts stop early.
- A baseline is missing
- Without a measure of what normal coverage looks like, a quiet period or a surge is hard to read.
When it helps
Reach for 7Analytica when the question is about a claim and the reporting behind it. It works with the methodology shown in full, and you can try it in the live demo.
You already investigate by hand and want the reporting side kept in a record with origin, repeats and edits.
You must hand a colleague or a client a dated that shows its sources.
You teach open-source methods and want students to see how a score is built.
You want a first pass on who reported a claim first before you spend time on deeper methods.
03 When not to use it
When to use something else.
For some jobs 7Analytica is the wrong choice. Each of these says so plainly, and says what to reach for.
4Situations where it is the wrong choice
- You need to verify an image or video
- You need public registers, filings or ownership records
- You need sources on the ground
- You need to collect private or restricted data
Read When to use something else, in full
When to use something else
Four situations where 7Analytica is the wrong choice. The coverage page and the page on AI and limits say more about what it does not do.
- You need to verify an image or video
- Geolocation, chronolocation and metadata analysis are not part of 7Analytica.
- You need public registers, filings or ownership records
- It does not search them. Use the registers directly.
- You need sources on the ground
- Interviews, field contacts and eyewitness material are outside it. It cannot replace someone with direct access.
- You need to collect private or restricted data
- 7Analytica is not built for that and does not identify individuals.
Read Questions
Questions people ask
Is 7Analytica an OSINT tool?
It works with open-source reporting, which is the raw material of OSINT, and adds , scoring and a record. It does not do imagery analysis, geolocation or records searches, and it does not collect private data.
Will it replace an analyst?
No. It organises the reporting side of a case. Judging what the evidence means, and finding evidence that is not in the reporting, remains the analyst's work.
Can I export my work?
Yes. A is an exportable record of one story with claims, scores, inputs, sources and edit history, and sealing fixes its content and time.
How does a sealed dossier help an investigation?
It fixes what you knew and when. If a report is later edited or removed, the record still shows the version you relied on, and any later change appears as a new entry.
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