Show HN: I built a real-time OSINT dashboard pulling 15 live global feeds

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

An open-source “movie hacker”-style OSINT dashboard that fuses live feeds like aircraft, ship, satellite, and news data into a single geospatial view is drawing both enthusiasm and scrutiny. Commenters probe its technical choices (Next.js + FastAPI, real-time GeoJSON streaming), deployment hurdles, API key management, and similarity to existing tools, while some compare its capabilities to far more complex classified systems built over decades. Others raise concerns about ethical use, data overload, and the surge of quickly built, LLM-assisted projects that may be eye-catching but fragile, highlighting a tension between rapid prototyping and long-term reliability.

Project concept & overall reception

  • Tool is a real-time OSINT-style dashboard aggregating multiple global feeds (e.g., aircraft, ships, satellites, news).
  • Many comments are impressed with the scope and “movie hacker” UI; several explicitly say this is a strong demo project.
  • Some compare it to other recent OSINT dashboards and pandemic-era trackers, noting that such dashboards have become the new “todo app” demo.

Architecture, tech choices & improvements

  • Backend: FastAPI with frequent GeoJSON updates; frontend: Next.js with MapLibre; Playwright is used via a Python wrapper around Node tooling.
  • Current design streams raw GeoJSON every ~60s for smooth “blip” animations; vector tile solutions like PMTiles/Martin are discussed as future options, mainly for static or historical layers.
  • Suggestions include: plugin-style architecture (sources/filters/sinks), richer data sources (RSS, subreddits, Ground News, GovTrack, politicians’ social feeds, EMM), and a clearer “air and space awareness” description instead of “full-spectrum geospatial intelligence.”

Installation, reliability & hosting

  • Multiple users report the app initially “shows no data” or is “broken” on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
  • Root causes mentioned: missing .env API keys, Python version mismatches, outdated dependency versions, and frontend scripts hard-wired to Windows Python.
  • Workarounds shared: specific requirements.txt versions and using newer Python; some still hit Node script errors.
  • Dockerfiles exist; self-hosting on a VPS is considered straightforward. For casual sharing, suggestions include Cloudflare Tunnel, Ngrok, or private networks (Tailscale/ZeroTier).
  • A similar hosted project (worldmonitor.app) is repeatedly referenced, though at least once it’s reported down.

Security, keys & leaks

  • Early zip release accidentally included .env files with API keys; commenters point this out as a classic OSINT find.
  • Concern about exposing API keys in a hosted settings page; suggestion is to store keys in the backend and issue short-lived session tokens instead of client-side storage.

Ethics, seriousness & “AI slop” concerns

  • Author explicitly warns against operational or military/intel use; commenters joke it may still appear in conflict-related news.
  • One commenter with defense experience contrasts this hobbyist OSINT with massive classified systems requiring sensors, anti-jamming, and rigorous change tracking.
  • Meta-discussion: rising skepticism toward LLM-assisted, quickly built projects; some see them as disposable “plastic cutlery,” others argue this implementation looks reasonably solid.