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Field notes on risk, sources, and the work of being right.

Working notes on geopolitical risk, OSINT tradecraft, and how a judgement earns the right to be trusted. Method in the open.

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TRADECRAFT · LONG READ 006
Tradecraft

Why do maps still matter? The common operating picture

A map's real job isn't navigation — it's to hold a shared, current picture of a situation so a team can reason from the same reality. The military calls it the common operating picture, and it belongs in civilian risk work.

Samuel Pouyt · 18 Jun 2026 · 3 min read
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Tradecraft How do you actually build situational awareness? Situational awareness isn't vigilance or paranoia — it's a trained loop: perceive, comprehend, anticipate. Here's the model, the failure mode that defeats most people, and how to practise it. 17 Jun 2026 · 3 min read Method What is a GSOC (global security operations centre)? A GSOC is the function that keeps an organisation's picture of physical risk current and turns it into action. Here's what it does, how it differs from a cyber SOC, and what separates a good one from an alert factory. 16 Jun 2026 · 3 min read Method What is risk intelligence? Risk intelligence is judgement under uncertainty — sourced, weighed, and honest about what it doesn't know. It is not forecasting, and it is not the filing cabinet of risk management. 15 Jun 2026 · 4 min read Method What is protective intelligence? Protective intelligence is the discipline of seeing a threat early enough to act before it arrives — not guarding, not surveillance. Knowing early is the first act of protection. 14 Jun 2026 · 4 min read Method How to read a risk report: what 'sourced' actually means A trustworthy risk report can be traced to its primary sources, shows its triangulation, and records the judgements it rejected. Here's how to tell one from a confident guess. 13 Jun 2026 · 2 min read