Shadowbroker — Open-Source Intelligence Platform for Global Monitoring

Introduction

Shadowbroker is an open-source intelligence aggregation platform that pulls live data from diverse global sources — ADS-B flight trackers, satellite feeds, seismic event monitors, and surveillance camera streams — into a single dashboard. It makes publicly available but rarely aggregated data accessible to researchers, journalists, and security analysts.

What Shadowbroker Does

• Tracks private and government aircraft using ADS-B transponder data in real time
• Monitors satellite positions and passes for observation windows
• Displays seismic events and geological activity on an interactive map
• Aggregates publicly accessible CCTV and surveillance camera feeds
• Optionally connects AI agents to parse data and surface correlations

Architecture Overview

Shadowbroker is a Python web application that ingests data from multiple public APIs and data streams. The frontend renders an interactive map-based dashboard where different intelligence layers can be toggled. Data sources are modular adapters that normalize incoming feeds into a common format. An optional AI integration layer lets you connect LLM agents to analyze patterns across data sources and generate alerts.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Clone the repository and install Python dependencies
• Configure data source API keys in the environment or config file
• Run the Flask-based web server locally or behind a reverse proxy
• Enable or disable individual data layers based on your use case
• Deploy with Docker for a more isolated production setup

Key Features

• Multi-source intelligence aggregation in a single dashboard
• Real-time ADS-B aircraft tracking with historical playback
• Satellite pass prediction and monitoring
• Seismic event visualization with magnitude filtering
• Modular adapter system for adding custom data sources

Comparison with Similar Tools

• FlightRadar24 — commercial flight tracking only; Shadowbroker combines flights with satellites, seismic, and CCTV
• Bellingcat tools — individual scripts for specific investigations; Shadowbroker provides a unified dashboard
• Maltego — commercial OSINT with graph analysis; Shadowbroker is free and focused on real-time monitoring
• SpiderFoot — domain and infrastructure recon; Shadowbroker targets physical-world intelligence

FAQ

Q: Is this legal to use? A: Shadowbroker aggregates publicly available data. Always comply with local laws regarding data collection and surveillance monitoring in your jurisdiction.

Q: Does it require paid API keys? A: Most data sources use free public APIs. Some premium feeds may require keys depending on your configuration.

Q: Can I add custom data sources? A: Yes. The modular adapter system lets you write plugins for any data feed that returns structured data.

Q: How much bandwidth does it use? A: Bandwidth depends on which data layers are active. ADS-B and satellite feeds are lightweight; CCTV streams consume more.

Sources

• https://github.com/BigBodyCobain/Shadowbroker