Participants at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference last week got a preview of the newly redesigned Investigative Dashboard, a research tool to help journalists get access to business records around the world. Developed by GIJN member Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, this week OCCRP formally launched ID at the Conflict in a Connected World conference sponsored by Google Ideas, which has supported development of the new tool.

The Google summit also highlighted other tools worth checking out, including real-time mapping of computer intrusions around the world and a new online security tool call uProxy.

Investigative Dashboard features a crowd-sourced database, put together by dozens of reporters and civic hackers, which contains company registration records and other related public records, to map illicit activities. ID also serves as a portal to more than 400 online databases in 120 jurisdictions where you can search for information on individuals and corporations worldwide.

For those who need further assistance, ID now includes a help desk. Reporters can submit a request to ID’s researchers, who in turn can search external databases and official filings for evidence of corporate ownership, funds transfers, or property holdings that cross borders. Among the groups who have signed up to help with research: Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism, the International Center for Journalists/Connectas, and the African Network of Centers for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR). Interested in signing up? Contact OCCRP’s Miranda Patrucic (miranda at cin.ba).