Theworldsfirstconflict-basedresearchcenteronorganizedviolencecombiningon-the-groundnetworks,investigativeexpertise,andcutting-edgedatatoolstoresolvethemostsevereevidenceandaccountabilitygapsincontemporarywar
While analysts increasingly rely on publicly-available, open-source information, most high-quality evidence in conflict zones remains hidden. We harness rare access to trust networks in warzones to convert direct knowledge of the most serious crimes and atrocities into systematic evidence.
Profiles in conflict data & evidence
The Frontline Observatory for Global Conflict Research is the world’s first conflict-based research center on organized violence combining on-the-ground networks, investigative expertise, and cutting-edge data tools to resolve the most severe evidence and accountability gaps in contemporary war.
The vantage behind frontlines
Unmasks targets & perpetratorsreveals stronger evidenceUnveils disinformationUnmasks targets & perpetratorsTells a different storyGoes overlooked
AWickedProblem
Armed actors routinely distort even seemingly basic "facts"—from perpetrators and illicit resource markets, to targets and disinformation techniques. By controlling information streams, militants shape the data that drive global perceptions of conflict.
Meanwhile, civilians frequently warn that what they see differs dramatically from official and international accounts. Yet despite observing gold-standard evidence of conflict, crimes and atrocity, they lack secure channels to share it.
As a result, the highest-quality evidence remains locked behind frontlines, while information that is easiest to access reflects the versions violent actors want heard.
The resulting evidence gap distorts the basis of legal cases, policy, and research.
Faultyinformationundermineseffortsto:
Hold perpetrators accountable
Profile combatant networks
Deliver humanitarian aid
Organize peace operations
Validate global supply chains
Mitigate & adapt to climate change in high-risk zones
Stop public health crises
Establish command chains
Develop conflict theory
Map violence hotspots
Model conflict trends
Promote economic development
Stem illicit markets
ContaminatedInformation,CriticalConsequences
Mistaking strategic (dis)information as factual builds militant power, silences civilian voices, and misallocates billions of dollars of international funds. It creates policy failures, feeds illicit markets, and prolongs violence.
Dowegetthestoryright?
Unlocks
Validates
Secures
& Leverages
Higher-Quality Evidence
ADistinctApproach
Weleverageon-the-groundnetworksacrossconflictzonestorigorouslydocumentandsecurelybridgehigh-qualityfrontlineevidencetointernationalcourts,practice,policy,andresearch.
Unlike typical organizations, we are conflict-based. We are founded by and on the insights of communities from warzones. This position lets us to do more with less. It allows distinctive access to rare, high-quality evidence troves and backroom knowledge of crimes, conflict, and atrocity. This evidence often tells a different story from what typical channels report, but disappears into whispers. By innovating mechanism to document in-hand knowledge, we preserve and unlock evidence that otherwise remains hidden. We partner with certified investigators to deliver gold-standard training in evidence collection and transmission, and safeguard in a secure data repository.
Weapplyfrontlineinsightstoinnovateconflictdataintegritytoolsforglobalpartners.
Our vantage behind frontlines allows us to see data vulnerabilities that others cannot. Gain familiarity with misrepresentation and disinformation techniques that shape typical information streams, and develop more rigorous methodological standards to overcome these challenges. Through partnerships with international organizations, governments, and non-governmental organizations we provide tools validate conflict data, assess evidence quality, and test for systemic vulnerabilities to equip partners to achieve their missions.
OurMission
By delivering gold-standard documentation methods, bridging frontline evidence to high-level courts, policy and research, and innovating data integrity tools, we strengthen the global evidence base on conflict to advance accountability and promote effective pathways to peace.
OurVision
A world where credible, grounded evidence can reduce violence, strengthen understanding, and check the power of those responsible for atrocity.
