Course Overview
This course covers how to create and analyze big data sets from open source information for strategic intelligence tasks relating to government, NGO, and industry crime and intelligence mandates. You will learn methods to organize and analyze structured and unstructured open source information to facilitate informed decision-making. You will engage in data exploration by using web-scraping software, and then use Structured Query Language (SQL) to define and manipulate that data. You will review the methodologies used to develop models for assessing possible future scenarios for the purpose of producing recommendations on possible outcomes, including national security threats. Using a number of problems and case studies, you will build, assess, and deploy different models to gain insights into the data. You will learn predictive analytics methodologies to test inferences, which will reduce the likelihood of false positive and false negative predictions. You will discuss the ethical and legal considerations when using various methodologies to collect, store, analyze, and report on predictive analysis.
Prerequisite(s)
- 60% in FSCT 8438
Credits
3.0
Registration requirements
Departmental approval is required to register for this course. You must have approval from the department to register. Students accepted into a program can register directly.
Domestic fees
$871.46 - $889.18 See individual course offerings below for actual costs.
International fees are typically 3.4 times the domestic tuition. Exact cost will be calculated upon completion of registration.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Discuss the legal and ethical considerations about use of open source information for crime and intelligence analysis, including privacy issues relating to the storage of collected open source data.
- Create models for data analytics of open source data by identifying relevant metrics.
- Use web-scraping software to collect open source information, such as social media, on issues relating to crime and intelligence analysis.
- Use current technologies to create a database for “Big Data” open source information, using tools such as SQL, for data manipulation of internal or external relational databases.
- Carry out analytical techniques to consolidate and clean data in an analytics environment.
- Conduct predictive and prescriptive analytics to discover trends and analyze patterns.
Effective as of Winter 2023
Related Programs
Open Source Data Analytics (FSCT 8439) is offered as a part of the following programs:
- Indicates programs accepting international students.
- Indicates programs eligible for students to apply for Post-graduation Work Permit (PGWP).
School of Computing and Academic Studies
- Forensic Investigation (Crime and Intelligence Analysis Option)
Advanced Certificate Part-time
- Forensic Investigation (Crime and Intelligence Analysis Option)
Bachelor of Technology Part-time
Course Offerings
Spring/Summer 2026
Below is one offering of FSCT 8439 for the Spring/Summer 2026 term.
CRN 70534
Dates
Apr 14 - Jul 07 Loading
- CRN 70534
- $871.46 Domestic fees
Class meeting times
| Dates | Days | Times | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14 - Jul 07 | Tue | 18:00 - 21:30 | Online |
Duration
13 weeks
Instructor
Ken Schulz
Course outline
Course outline TBD — see Learning Outcomes in the interim.
Important information
- Important course information will be sent to you prior to your course start date. Check your myBCIT email account to access this information.
- Students who have been accepted into a Forensics program where this course is a part of the matrix may register without any further approvals. Students who are not currently accepted in a Forensics program or, if this course is NOT part of your program matrix, please contact the Program Assistants for departmental approval at BCIT_Forensics@bcit.ca.
Confirmation
Required
To proceed with registration and add this course to the cart, please confirm:
No approval yet? Request approval You must have approval from the department to register. Students accepted into a program can register directly.
Status
If you have any questions about this course, please contact us.
Fall 2026
Below is one offering of FSCT 8439 for the Fall 2026 term.
CRN 52771
Dates
Sep 10 - Dec 03 Loading
- CRN 52771
- $889.18 Domestic fees
Class meeting times
| Dates | Days | Times | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 10 - Dec 03 | Thu | 18:00 - 21:30 | Online |
Duration
13 weeks
Instructor
TBD
Course outline
Course outline TBD — see Learning Outcomes in the interim.
Important information
- Students who have been accepted into a Forensics program where this course is a part of the matrix may register without any further approvals. Students who are not currently accepted in a Forensics program or, if this course is NOT part of your program matrix, please contact the Program Assistants for departmental approval at BCIT_Forensics@bcit.ca.
Confirmation
Required
To proceed with registration and add this course to the cart, please confirm:
No approval yet? Request approval You must have approval from the department to register. Students accepted into a program can register directly.
Status
If you have any questions about this course, please contact us.
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice. Find out more about BCIT course cancellations.