What OPEN SOURCE CENTRE LIMITED does

Open Source Centre Limited (OSC) is a UK-based non-profit research organisation specialising in open-source intelligence (OSINT) on national-security and defence questions affecting the United Kingdom and its allies. The company is registered as a private limited company (Company No. 15670158) at 167-169 Great Portland Street, London, and was founded by James Byrne, who previously established the Open Source Intelligence and Analysis (OSIA) department at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). OSC operates with a small team of approximately eight named analysts, engineers, and technologists drawn from RUSI's OSIA programme, C4ADS, Sayari Labs, and the Korea Risk Group. Its primary beneficiaries are the UN Security Council, UK and allied governments, and the international defence community; the broader public consumes its research via free publication.

OSC's core technology stack combines commercial satellite imagery (Planet Labs, Satellogic, Umbra, Vantor, Airbus), AIS transponder data, vessel specification databases, geospatial mapping, and 3D vessel and container reconstruction to independently verify sanctions violations and document illicit trade networks. Its products take the form of interactive research reports (e.g., 'Ore to Ordnance', 'Refined Tastes', 'Brothers in Arms', 'Back in Black', 'On the Bridge', 'The Big Shor'), specialised services including munitions supply-chain analysis and sanctions-evasion research, UN Security Council briefings delivered in 2025 and 2026, and the Trade Integrity Project (TIP), a not-for-profit sub-brand collecting public and whistleblower data on Common High Priority List shipments to Russia.

The organisation runs as a non-commercial entity: research publications are free of charge, and revenue is sourced from grants, donations, and likely government contracts. Its go-to-market is event-driven and credibility-led — investigations are co-published with Reuters, BBC News, Financial Times, and TRM Labs, generating earned media coverage and direct engagement with governmental stakeholders. Recent strategic moves include joining Planet Labs' inaugural Planetary Security Program cohort (March 2026) and expanding into financial intelligence through the A7 Network investigation with TRM Labs (June 2026), marking a deliberate broadening of OSC's investigative surface beyond maritime and munitions tracking.

Name

OPEN SOURCE CENTRE LIMITED

Legal name

Open Source Centre Limited

Website

https://opensourcecentre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Open Source Centre Limited is a UK-based non-profit that produces open-source intelligence on sanctions evasion, military logistics, and geopolitical threats, serving the UN Security Council, UK and allied governments, and the international defence community through free investigative reports and briefings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open-Source Intelligence Research

NAICS

National Security and International Affairs (9281)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital/Online Investigations & OSINT (Non-cyber) (BPAKAEAF)

Keywords

• Open source intelligence
• Sanctions evasion research
• Geospatial intelligence analysis
• Maritime vessel tracking
• National security research

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Non-profit/research funding: OSC operates as a UK-based non-profit organization. Revenue appears to come from grants, donations, and possibly government contracts for intelligence services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Open Source Centre Limited (OSC) is a UK-based non-profit that produces open-source intelligence research products on national security and defence. It investigates sanctions evasion, military logistics, and geopolitical threats using a combination of satellite imagery analysis, AIS ship tracking data, vessel databases, and geospatial mapping, delivering interactive research reports, briefings to the UN Security Council, and the Trade Integrity Project for tracking Common High Priority List (CHPL) shipments to Russia.

Product overview

OPEN SOURCE CENTRE LIMITED is a UK-based non-profit research organization that produces cutting-edge open-source intelligence products on national security and defense challenges. The organization does not offer a traditional SaaS product; rather, it delivers a portfolio of interactive research reports, investigative briefings, and analysis services. Core offerings include Interactive Research Reports combining satellite imagery, AIS tracking, and multi-source analysis documenting sanctions violations and geopolitical threats; the Trade Integrity Project (TIP) focused on Russia-bound shipment tracking; UN Security Council briefings; and specialized munitions supply chain and sanctions evasion research. The organization operates at the intersection of OSINT, satellite imagery analysis, and financial intelligence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Trade Integrity Project (TIP): A not-for-profit initiative collecting public and whistleblower data on reported Common High Priority List (CHPL) shipments to Russia, helping companies, financial institutions and governments identify and mitigate risks of product diversion to Russian military companies.

Products and services

• Interactive Research Reports Investigative open-source intelligence reports combining satellite imagery analysis, AIS ship tracking, vessel database analysis, 3D modeling, and geospatial mapping. Produced for governments, media partners, and the public to document sanctions violations, military logistics, and geopolitical threats.
• Trade Integrity Project (TIP) Not-for-profit initiative that collects public and whistleblower data on reported Common High Priority List (CHPL) shipments to Russia. Helps companies, financial institutions, and governments identify and mitigate risks of product/technology diversion to Russian military companies.
• UN Security Council Briefings Direct briefings delivered to the UN Security Council on North Korean sanctions evasion activities, presenting satellite imagery evidence and vessel tracking data documenting ongoing violations of UNSC resolutions.
• Sanctions Evasion Research Open-source investigations into financial networks and mechanisms used to circumvent international sanctions, including parallel financial infrastructures, front companies, falsified invoices, and cryptocurrency-based evasion channels.
• Munitions Supply Chain Analysis Analysis tracking weapons transfers and artillery supply chains, documenting shipment volumes, vessel movements, and delivery patterns using satellite imagery and 3D modeling. Includes tracing dependencies from raw materials (iron ore, sulphuric acid) to advanced components (CNC machinery).

Quantifiable outcome

• 64+ documented shipments from North Korea to Russia carrying munitions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TRM LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026Partnership with TRM Labs for the A7 investigation, providing forensic analysis of the A7 Network's cryptocurrency operations. TRM Labs conducted blockchain analysis revealing that on-chain volume of $166 billion was substantially inflated through circular transfers between A7 and other Russian sanction evasion actors.
• Planet Labs (Planet)coreTechnology or Integration · 24 March 2026Planet selected OSC to join the inaugural cohort of its Planetary Security Program. Planet has been an indispensable provider to OSC since its founding, relied upon for satellite imagery across work including DPRK maritime sanctions evasion monitoring, the war in Ukraine, and strikes on Iran. The partnership enables OSC to use Planet's high-resolution imaging and rapid revisit rates for Arctic defense posture analysis.
• ReuterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReuters partnered with OSC for the 'Back in Black' investigation into North Korea's coal trade and for the 'Brothers in Arms' analysis of North Korean munitions deliveries to Russia. Reuters provided additional analysis and graphic support for these investigations.
• BBC NewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBC News partnered with OSC for the 'Refined Tastes' investigation showing Russia had likely delivered over a million barrels of petroleum to North Korea. BBC provided co-published analysis and coverage of the findings.
• Financial TimescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial Times partnered with OSC for the 'Red Passage' analysis of the Maia-1 vessel seeking to transit the Suez Canal. The investigation revealed one of Russia's DPRK munitions carriers had ventured out of East Asian waters.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bellingcat: Amsterdam-based open-source investigations collective that pioneered OSINT-led accountability work on conflicts, sanctions evasion, and state-sponsored activity; the closest direct peer to OSC in both methodology and target domains (e.g., DPRK, Russia).
• The Sentry: US-based investigative initiative focused on tracking illicit financial networks tied to war crimes and sanctions evasion, particularly in Sudan and the DPRK; comparable mission, public-interest funding model, and government-facing output.
• C4ADS: Washington DC-based non-profit producing data-driven reporting on conflict, sanctions evasion, and illicit networks; OSC's COO and Head of Engineering both previously led product/engineering at C4ADS, and the two organizations operate on near-identical investigative methodologies.
• RUSI (Open Source Intelligence and Analysis programme): UK defence and security think-tank whose OSIA programme was founded by OSC's CEO; OSC is effectively the spin-out, and the two continue to share talent, methodology, and access to UK government customers.

Broad incumbents

• Control Risks: Global risk consultancy providing political, security, and integrity due diligence to multinational clients; broader incumbent that increasingly bundles OSINT into its advisory offerings.
• Eurasia Group: Global political risk advisory firm covering geopolitical, sanctions, and country-risk themes; broader incumbent whose analyst reports overlap with OSC's DPRK, Russia, and Iran coverage from a commercial angle.

Others

• Planet Labs: Commercial earth-observation provider and OSC's core satellite imagery partner under the Planetary Security Program; relevant as both an infrastructure enabler and a future channel for OSC's analytic output.
• TRM Labs: Blockchain intelligence firm that co-published 'The Big Shor' with OSC; relevant as a financial-intelligence partner that has demonstrated a model for pairing open-source investigation with paid compliance analytics.

Emerging players

• Sayari Labs: Commercial OSINT platform providing entity-level sanctions, supply-chain, and beneficial-ownership data; OSC's COO previously led product there, and Sayari represents the most natural commercial trajectory for OSC's investigative IP.
• Kharon: US research and analytics firm specializing in sanctions, export controls, and security-related data; comparable customer base (financial institutions, governments) and overlap in DPRK and Russia coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-source-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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