Dataharvest 2026 - the European Investigative Journalism Conference

Everyone knows that you can track planes online. But how exactly do you use plane tracking tools, and how can they help you with investigative research in particular? That's what this workshop is all about. It's aimed at journalists who have only ever tracked their vacation flights, but it also offers tips and tricks for more experienced colleagues. (It can get a little nerdy at times, but hopefully never boring.)

This session will tackle questions such as:
-How do you use flight tracking sites for research?
-Can you really track all planes? And what do you do if they don't want a flight to be found?
-What are the advantages and disadvantages of different platforms?
-How does flight data help to verify other information from your research?
-What are the biggest stumbling blocks, and what do you need to watch out for?
-How do you access older data?
-And why are plane spotters your best friends...

The tools of the trade are explained with practical examples from real research cases. These include Russian sabotage and hijackings, kings on their travels, and smuggled wild animals.