Quiztime - Winter Picnic Challenge
This time it's an OSINT quiz by @bayer_julia.
This was a very difficult quiz, as there is infinitely little information that can be read from the photos. It was a good question that reminded us that we need proper search skills, language skills, and ideas to find information efficiently.
Geolocation
Take a look at the photo.
This photo is a scene that could be found anywhere, and it was almost impossible to determine the location by image search. There is an artwork(?) in the center that looks like a netted branch. but no hits were found. You can see a sidewalk in the lower right corner, and the other clue is a tree branch, but I couldn't do it because I am not familiar with plants.
Next Geolocation
But it is not too early to give up.
During quiz time, you will find clues at the bottom of the posted tweets.
However, I only look at this when I just can't figure it out.
The tweet is below :
But it's not too early to give up.
During quiz time, there are hints at the bottom of the posted tweets.
However, I only look at this when I just can't figure it out.
The tweet is below:
The landscape is very similar. And if you look up the ecology of these ducks, you should be able to get the location. I did a quick image search.
The duck's name is "Höckerschwan".
And I found that the view behind is "Eichwerder Steg".
I was able to locate the duck on Google Maps.
Re-analysis
Up to this point, I thought I had identified the location.
However, looking at other respondents' posts, apparently not.
Perhaps the location where the ducks were was near the first photo posted. If so, it should be where the terrain and trees are similar. Once again, I re-analyzed the situation here.
There is what appears to be artwork in the center of the image. First, I tracked down what this was.
I did a Google search with various thought processes here. Finally, I searched for "Berlin Haus Kunstwerk im Wald" in German and found the following site.
It seems to be an artwork called "Flämisches Haus".
The location is as follows:
Location: 52.13366050297367, 12.568026129794326
Quiztime - How to Geolocate with Video Verification
When analyzing information in OSINT, there is a vast amount of information that can be extracted from video. A video is actually a collection of many micro-changes of a single picture, a picture that changes from moment to moment as we see it on a daily basis. The information available includes video metadata, audio, and a background that changes every second. However, we are lucky if we can find several different videos, as metadata can be edited and can be difficult to verify if the quality of the video is poor.
In this quiz, the video is about 10 seconds long and only shows the same scene, so complex verification techniques are not necessary, but the video verification quiz posted by Nixintel uses a tool and explains detailed video verification, which is linked below.
So here we go for the first time.
Geolocation
Normally, we would verify each second, but this time it is not necessary because it is the same scene.
"Berlin braucht Musik" is written on the boat, so I will look for it.
Apparently, it is a festival held by the Berlin orchestra orchestra.
I looked and found that it was also being held in 2020. I looked at some videos on Youtube for 2020, but could not find any applicable locations, so I moved on to the information for 2021.
I looked at the website and found a map where the orchestra would be held, so I used Google Maps to find a location that was centered around the waterfront and had lots of trees planted in the surrounding area. However, I realized that I had already made a mistake here.
Looking at the bottom of the site, I found the dates, times, and driving routes that were being held at the waterfront. I was a little too quick. I regret it.
It is almost as if we have narrowed down the location. I have confirmed that it follows the waterway from Rummelsburger Bucht to Urbanhafen. The same route was reversed in the afternoon. The quiz does not ask for the exact time and place, but I tried to find them for study purposes as well.
I knew immediately that Rummelsburger Bucht and Insel der Jugend were different just by looking at them. Two remain.
I'll try to find them by satellite where I drew the red line (sorry for the mess).
With the information I can get from the background, I would like to pinpoint the location of the two red roofs and the two windows that are visible.
Perhaps this is the place.
In the video, the ship is running to the left, so at first glance it looks like a morning program, but it turns out that this is a fake and it is actually the opposite direction, i.e., an afternoon program, and they are in the middle of heading from Urbanhafen to Rummelsburger Bucht. You can't see the window unless it is the return direction. So it looks like this.
Answer: September 5th 2021, Maybachufer 5, 12:30 - 15:00
location: 52.49443075791062, 13.425214916159238
Bonus Quiz
I found the location, but I haven't finished the bonus quiz yet.
This was quickly discovered by searching the appropriate song title identification site.
Video Verification Resource
Quiztime - First Chronolocation Challenge
Have you heard of an OSINT method called chronolocation?
While geolocation is often compared to geolocation, chronolocation is a technique to narrow down the "time zone" of a location.
I took the Chronolocation Challenge for the first time in a recently posted Quiztime quiz, and I would like to introduce it to you.
We have listed the chronolocation resources below and recommend that you first take a look at them before working on this project.
Geolocation
What we know from the information we gather is that
(1) "Ulaanbaatar" is the capital of Mongolia.
(2) "Bluefin" is a fast food restaurant
(3) Hotels with Cyrillic letters
(4) Sign inside the intersection
There are many more, but I'll look for them anyway, as they seem to be sufficient information.
First, I tried to find a Bluefin store, but it did not seem to be a major store, as only 4 results were found when I searched Google Map. I searched for a place where there is an intersection and a hotel nearby, and the sign is visible. After a few minutes, I found a place that seemed to match my requirements.
Note: The sign does not appear to be pre-2017, so caution is advised.
Chronolocation
This is where we come in. We have to narrow down the time frame as accurately as possible from this location.
The quiz posted that the photo was taken on October 21, 2021. The best tool to determine this based on the length of the shadow and where you are standing is suncalc.
The black one extending from the red circle in the center is the shadow, and you can get a rough idea by moving the time slider.
If we use the shadow in the lower center of the image, we can get a good idea of the time from about 15:30 to 16:00.
The black one extending from the red circle in the center is the shadow, and you can get a rough idea by moving the time slider.
If we use the shadow in the lower center of the image, we can get a good idea of the time from about 15:30 to 16:00.
According to other respondents' tweets, @twone2, a quiz contributor, answered 15:45 minutes.
Although a few minutes late, it was about right, so it was a good first chronolocation quiz.
Just one more minute ... 😆
— Tilman - siding with peace ☮️🔍 (@twone2) 2022年3月24日
It was actually 15:45 - I'm afraid I don't have any seconds to see how close to 46 it was.
Chronolocation Resouce:
・Chronolocation of Media
https://sector035.nl/articles/chronolocation-of-media
・ファクトクイズのチェック
https://speakerdeck.com/meow_noisy/huakutotietukufalsekuizu
・Shadows and Suncalc
https://medium.com/quiztime/lining-up-shadows-2351ae106cec
・Using the Sun and the Shadows for Geolocation
https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2020/12/03/using-the-sun-and-the-shadows-for-geolocation/
Quiztime - Mystery Castle
There are so many fascinating medieval buildings.
This quiz is "How much does a hotel near a mansion cost per night?"
This time, we will only explain it lightly because it is simple.
It was easy to identify after an image search.
The castle is called "Schloss Vischel".
The nearest hotel (guesthouse) is "Ferienhaus In der Vischel".
I would like to know the price per night, but it will probably have changed by the time you access it again.
I think the price was 70 euros at the time of my visit.
Other respondents are also different, so it would be roughly around 100 euros.
Quiztime - Train Geolocation
Today we present two train geolocation quizzes. These were good questions that allowed us to learn about train identification, bird life, and country culture.
So let's geolocate!
Geolocation
First, let's enumerate the characteristics of the image.
1: Train with red and blue pattern
2: Bird's nest on a utility pole
3: A row of houses on the left
4: The train in front is a different color, bright red.
In (1), there are letters besides the pattern, could this be TCDD?
I did an image search with Google Lens and it was most likely a Turkish train.
URL: Turkish State Railways - Wikipedia
Two of the most promising pieces of information are.
TCDD TVS2000 and TCDD Suburban Fleet. However, the TVS2000 does not have a red handle, so it is the latter.
Two of the most promising pieces of information are.
TCDD TVS2000 and TCDD Suburban Fleet. However, the TVS2000 does not have a red handle, so it is the latter.
I checked and found that they are running mainly in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir, i.e., western Turkey.
It is good progress to have a general idea of where the train is located, but it is tedious to see everything.
Next, let's look at the residential area and bird's nest on the left.
I looked up the residential area with my Google lens, and it came up as Bulgaria.
I searched for "bulgaria bird nest + utility pole" and found that the characteristics of the house matched and furthermore, it turned out to be a stork's nest.
Once back to the front, Istanbul is the only way to travel by train from Turkey to Bulgaria.
And while researching where to go in Bulgaria from Istanbul, I found a feature that looked like a train in the front section.
It seems to be the Istanbul-Sofia express train.
I checked the route and found that there is only one of these express trains.
www.rome2rio.comUpon further inspection, this train is an overnight train, and looking at the time schedule, the morning hours in Bulgaria would be from around Plovdiv. However, the quiz question is "Where is the train headed?" I did not go into this any further, since it is, but other respondents were able to pinpoint the exact location.
The photo was taken in Orizovo:
— MCantow (@MCantow) 2022年2月16日
42.2045, 25.1758https://t.co/Lhs0zL8tbi
First guess: the train is headed to Jambol.
Answer: from Istanbul to Sofia
Quiztime - 15th February 2019 - Yacht lingered quietly
The ocean is a man's romance.
Since ancient times, mankind has been building ships and breaking through the stormy seas with thought and artifice.
However, an adventurer must have a never-ending spirit of exploration.
Now, for this question, you see a yacht standing quietly on a beautiful sea. The question itself is simply a geolocation of the spot. However, since it went faster than expected, I did a little research on yachts.
I hope you will listen to my story just to pass the time.
So let's Geolocation!
Geolocation
A quick Google Lens image search did not turn up any yachts, but the distinctive stone architecture identified it as Valletta, the capital of Malta.
As you can see from the photos, the stone buildings were easily recognizable because they were along the coastline.
The street view shows the view, albeit somewhat from behind.
Location: Valletta, Malta - 35.902450375829254, 14.518338812975383
Yacht Research
Hmmm, the question was answered, but not enough. Just as well, let's look into yachting. I'll let you pass the time from here on out and give it a try.
First, I did an image search on Yandex to identify the type of yacht.
There was another site, but it seems that a New Zealand yacht built in the late 2000s - Beneteau Oceanis 43 is the most likely candidate.
I did a search for "beneteau oceanis 43 + New Zealand owned" and found a detailed PDF.
PDF: https://yachtfindersglobal.com/boat/beneteau-oceanis-43/?pdf=11024
Quiztime - 22nd March 2022 - Geolocation Tuscany
When it comes to adult pleasures, most people think of alcohol at the end of the workday. I am over 20 years old and my favorite drink is grape juice lol. I am more interested in wine than alcohol. Every day I want to graduate from college and get a job as soon as possible.
Oops, sorry. I'll stop with the personal stuff and get to work on geolocation.
Geolocation is part of verification! @quiztime you can hone your skills in #OSINT.
— Julia Bayer (@bayer_julia) 2022年3月21日
Here is your challenge #MondayQuiz:
👉🏼 What is the name of the country & region the photo was taken?
Bonus: Where exactly?
📮reply just to me with an answer
🤝 reply to all for collaboration pic.twitter.com/t2I5ooDltY
Again, it's an OSINT quiz by Julia.
We will locate the country and its region, with additional details.
It's lush green nature as far as the eye can see.
It's going to be hard to find it again.
Information gathering
First, let's organize the information that can be read from the photos and formulate a hypothesis.
Blue rectangle: 3 trees
Red rectangle: possibly poolside
Yellow rectangle: field
However, this is vague, so I first tried to find out which country it is.
Searching for images with Google Lens, I found that the Tuscany region of Italy was the most likely location.
Tuscany is located in central Italy, has many mountains, and is famous for being Italy's largest producer of red wine. According to the information that could be read from the image, the photographer was shooting at a high elevation, and there was no doubt that the vineyards seen in the foreground, stretching from the center to the right, were vineyards.
Incidentally, there is a lot of information on the Tuscany region in the image search, and I tried looking for other regions but could not find any, so I will proceed here on the assumption that the research is limited to the Tuscany region only.
Information Analysis
The information to look for now is a location in Tuscany, with vineyards, three trees, and a poolside in sight, and at a high elevation.
Also, the poolside means it is in the mountains and probably near a hotel.
Search Operator: tuscany hotels with pools + near Vineyard
The trick to a successful search in OSINT is to verbalize the information in the image. In many cases, putting the information into words has reduced the number of searches by hundreds of thousands.
After some random searching, I decided to look for a hotel on a certain travel site. If I could find it separately, I would be able to find it on another site. I searched on travelmyth.com. There were close to 400 listings, so I narrowed my search to hotels with vineyards and outdoor pools (with brown floors) in front of them, and eliminated all others.
There were close to 400 entries, so I eliminated all but those with vineyards in front of them, outdoor poolside (with brown floors), and high elevation.
I had trouble during the search process, but it was very time consuming because there were many very similar hotels and many vineyards around.
The floor, which was slightly lower than the hotel, was brown, and the trees and fence behind the poolside and the vineyard in front of us were a perfect match.
