Documentation
OBSERVE is a global intelligence platform that aggregates open-source data across geopolitics, weather, markets, transport, and news into a single real-time interface. This guide covers every module and how to get the most out of each one.
Getting Started
Platform Modules
World Map
Interactive globe showing all live events — earthquakes, weather, conflicts, flights, vessels, and news — as color-coded markers.
- Click any marker to open the event detail panel.
- Use the layer toggles (top right) to show/hide event types.
- Zoom and pan freely; the map re-queries visible markers on move.
- Heatmap mode aggregates dense areas into intensity gradients.
News Intelligence
Curated geopolitical news from the GDELT Project — English-language articles filtered for high-relevance global events.
- Stories are scored by severity (Critical → Minimal) using keyword and topic signals.
- Filter by topic tag: geopolitics, economy, security, technology, disaster, sanctions, nuclear, elections.
- Search searches both title and summary.
- Connect your own NewsAPI key in Settings → Integrations for additional sources.
Weather & Disasters
Live severe weather alerts from NOAA/NWS (US) and significant earthquake data from USGS — rolling 7-day window.
- NOAA covers Extreme and Severe alerts for US territories.
- USGS tracks all significant earthquakes globally (magnitude varies by significance).
- Events older than 7 days are automatically removed from the feed.
- Connect OpenWeatherMap in Settings for global city-level weather data.
Markets
Real-time cryptocurrency prices (BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, ADA, DOT) and FX rates for 10 major currency pairs.
- Crypto data from CoinCap — updated on every manual refresh.
- FX rates from ExchangeRate-API (USD base, 10 pairs).
- Price rows flash green/red when a value changes live.
- Market-related global events appear below the price table.
Transport
Flight and vessel tracking for Europe and the Middle East — updated when you connect an OpenSky Network account.
- Requires your own OpenSky credentials — connect in Settings → Integrations.
- Flights tab shows airborne and grounded aircraft with callsign, altitude, speed, heading.
- Vessels tab shows cargo ships and tankers with MMSI, flag, destination.
- Data reflects a 7-day rolling window of tracked positions.
Conflicts
Armed conflict event tracking from ACLED — the leading academic conflict dataset.
- Requires your own ACLED credentials — register free at acleddata.com then connect in Settings → Integrations.
- Shows event type (battle, explosion, protest), actors, fatalities, and location.
- ACLED data is updated weekly by their team; your account refreshes on cron.
AI Briefings
On-demand intelligence briefings generated by Perplexity AI based on current platform data.
- Requires your own Perplexity AI API key — get one at perplexity.ai then connect in Settings → Integrations.
- Briefings are generated fresh each time and take 10–30 seconds.
- Past briefings are saved to your account for reference.
Alerts
Custom alert rules that notify you when new events match your criteria.
- Create rules by country, keyword, event type, or severity level.
- Alerts appear in the Alerts tab and (if enabled) via email.
- Combine multiple conditions with AND logic for precision.
Bring Your Own Keys (BYOK)
Several modules require you to connect a free API key from a third-party provider. Your keys are encrypted and stored only in your account — we never share or use them outside your sessions. Connect all integrations from Settings → Integrations.
| Module | Provider | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| News Intelligence | NewsAPI | Free (dev) / $449/mo commercial |
| Conflicts | ACLED | Free registration |
| AI Briefings | Perplexity AI | Pay-as-you-go API |
| Transport | OpenSky Network | Free registration |
| Weather (global) | OpenWeatherMap | Free tier (1k calls/day) |
