Area Study Guide

Overview

This is not a one-time assignment. It is a living product that the chapter builds, maintains, and acts on. The area study is the Intelligence pillar’s primary output. It informs every other pillar: operations planning, security threat assessment, public records research, and community outreach all draw from what the chapter learns by knowing its environment.

The area study follows three phases:

1. Desk Research. Gather everything you can from public sources without leaving your desk. Government databases, Census data, FEMA records, FCC filings, OpenStreetMap, and your county’s own GIS portal. This phase builds the foundation.
2. Field Verification. Get boots on the ground. Drive every road, visit every asset, confirm every address. Desk research tells you what should be there; field verification tells you what actually is.
3. Ongoing Maintenance. An area study is never finished. Businesses close, officials change, infrastructure breaks. Quarterly reviews and post-event updates keep the data current.

OSINT Methodology and Data Sources

OSINT (open-source intelligence) is the practice of collecting information from publicly available sources. For chapters, this means using government databases, public APIs, and open mapping platforms to build the factual foundation of your area study before anyone drives a mile.

Source Reliability

Sources vary in quality. When recording data, note where it came from and how much you trust it.

Master Data Source Reference

The following public data sources are available to every chapter free of charge. Most require no API key; those that recommend one are noted.

Government and Safety

Infrastructure

Demographics

Legal and Surveillance

Data Recording Standards

For every asset you document, record the following at minimum:

• Name and type (what it is)
• Address (street address for geocoding)
• Coordinates (latitude/longitude, confirmed or from geocoder)
• Source (where you found this information)
• Status (OSINT, VERIFIED, CORRECTED, CLOSED, or NEW)
• Date recorded (when you captured this data)
• Notes (hours, phone, capacity, backup power, or any other operational detail)

Consistent formatting makes your data usable across the chapter. Capture the data correctly once and you will never have to reformat it.

Phase 1: Desk Research

Work through these sections in order. Each builds on the previous.

Local Government

Your county and city have a governing structure. Know who holds power, what they control, and how to reach them.

OSINT Sources: Your county and city government websites are the starting point. County GIS portals provide parcel data, zoning maps, and property ownership. Meeting minutes archives (often posted as PDFs on the county website) reveal decisions, contracts, and priorities that news coverage misses.

Officials to Identify

Document every name, term, contact, and public meeting schedule. Keep this current.

Meetings to Attend

Decisions that affect your community are made at these meetings, often with fewer than a dozen citizens in the room.

• City council / commission. Usually twice monthly. Ordinances, budgets, land use.
• County commission. County roads, public health, emergency management funding, law enforcement budgets.
• Planning / zoning hearings. Development, land use changes, cell towers, rezonings.
• School board. Budgets, facility use, safety protocols.
• Budget hearings. Usually annual. Where the money decisions are made.

Public Comment

Nearly every state’s open meetings law requires a public comment period. Sign up before the meeting or at the start of the comment period. The typical time limit is 2-5 minutes per speaker. State your name, your address, and make one clear point. Do not ramble. Follow up in writing. Public comments become part of the official record, but written correspondence to individual officials carries more weight over time.

Open Meetings Laws

Every state has an open meetings law (sunshine law). The core principle: government deliberations that lead to decisions must happen in public. Meetings require advance notice with posted agendas, must be open to observation and recording, and votes must be taken in open session. Executive sessions (closed) are permitted for personnel matters, pending litigation, real estate negotiations, and security, but binding votes cannot be taken behind closed doors.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press maintains the definitive state-by-state guide to open meetings and public records laws.

Legal Knowledge

Chapters operate under state and local law. Every member should know the laws that directly affect chapter activities in their jurisdiction.

OSINT Sources: Your state legislature’s website provides the full text of every statute. Justia offers 50-state surveys on recording laws, firearms laws, and other topics. Google Scholar provides free case law search. Your county court clerk’s website has docket information and case records.

Firearms

Find your state’s actual statutes through your state legislature’s website. Cross-reference with the USCCA Concealed Carry Reciprocity Map for interstate carry.

Assembly

The First Amendment protects peaceful assembly. Government can impose time, place, and manner restrictions that are content-neutral, but cannot deny a permit based on your message. Many jurisdictions require permits for organized events on public property; these are for logistics, not content. Spontaneous gatherings in response to current events generally do not require a permit. Streets, sidewalks, and parks are traditional public forums with the highest level of protection.

Read your state’s specific statutes on unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct, and trespass. Those are the charges most commonly used against demonstrators.

Recording

Recording consent varies by state. 39 states plus D.C. are one-party consent, meaning you can record a conversation you are a party to without the other person’s knowledge. 11 states require all-party consent: California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington. Connecticut and Oregon have mixed rules depending on whether the communication is in person or over the phone; when in doubt, treat them as all-party. When parties are in different states, the stricter standard generally applies.

Reference: Justia 50-State Recording Survey.

Property and Zoning

Zoning classifications determine what activities are permitted on each parcel. If your chapter wants to use a property for training, meetings, or storage, zoning matters. Your county property appraiser or assessor’s website has parcel maps, zoning designations, ownership records, and property values. All public information.

On eminent domain: the government can take private property for public use with just compensation (Fifth Amendment). After Kelo v. City of New London (2005), 47 states strengthened protections. Find your state’s specific rules through the Owners’ Counsel of America.

Public Records

Each state has its own public records law with different names, procedures, and exemptions. The federal FOIA applies only to federal agencies.

How to file a request: Identify the specific records you want (be precise). Address the request to the records custodian at the specific agency. Cite your state’s statute by name and number. Most states allow requests by email or online form. Agencies have statutory response deadlines that vary from 3 business days to 30+ days.

What to request as a chapter: County emergency management plans, mutual aid agreements, law enforcement policies and use-of-force data, planning and zoning decisions, infrastructure inspection reports, and county budget documents.

Resources: Reporters Committee Open Government Guide, MuckRock (filing templates), National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Court Proceedings

Most court proceedings are open to the public. Check your county court’s online calendar. Walk in, sit in the gallery, and observe. Court officials will not ask why you are there. No phones in most courts, no recording without prior approval. Arrive early for high-profile cases.

Exceptions: juvenile proceedings, grand jury proceedings, sealed cases, and classified information.

Infrastructure Mapping

Map these assets systematically. Use a physical map as backup, not digital only. The three-tier framework prioritizes assets by their impact on life safety during a disruption.

OSINT Sources per Tier:

• Tier 1 (Life Safety): HIFLD provides geocoded locations of hospitals, fire stations, and EMS stations. HIFLD also has electric substations, transmission lines, dams, and bridges; these are critical for identifying power grid and transportation SPOFs. The EPA maintains water system data. The EIA tracks power plants by fuel type and capacity. Open Infrastructure Map provides a free visual overlay of power lines, substations, and pipelines drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
• Tier 2 (Sustainment): OpenStreetMap’s Overpass API can query fuel stations, grocery stores, and pharmacies by county. FCC tower registrations provide cell tower locations. RepeaterBook maps amateur radio repeaters. The FCC Broadband Map shows coverage gaps.
• Tier 3 (Community): OpenStreetMap covers churches and schools. Census data identifies designated shelter locations. Your county EMA has the official shelter list.

Tier 1: Life Safety

Tier 2: Sustainment

Tier 3: Community

Single Points of Failure

Your area has them. A single bridge or highway that, if it floods, isolates entire areas. A single water source that, if contaminated, cuts off supply. A single power substation feeding a large zone, where one transformer failure blacks out everything. A single grocery distribution center that, if disrupted, affects dozens of stores. A single fiber node routing all internet and phone traffic for the area.

Drive your county. Look at the road network, the power lines, the bridges. Ask your county emergency management director what keeps them up at night.

Threat and Hazard Assessment

OSINT Sources: The FEMA Disaster Declarations API returns every federal disaster declaration for your county by FIPS code. The NOAA Storm Events Database provides detailed records of severe weather events. USGS provides seismic hazard data. The NWS Alerts API returns active watches and warnings.

Your County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan

Counties that receive federal disaster funding are required to maintain a hazard mitigation plan, updated every five years. Find yours:

1. Search “[county name] hazard mitigation plan.” Many counties post the full document online.
2. Call your county emergency management office directly.
3. Contact your state hazard mitigation officer through the state emergency management agency.

Data Sources

Man-Made Threats

Natural disasters get headlines, but man-made threats are often more likely:

• Infrastructure cascades. Power failure leads to water pump failure leads to hospital problems. Understand how your community’s systems depend on each other.
• Supply chain. Most grocery stores carry 3 days of inventory. Where does your fuel come from? What happens when the interstate closes for 48 hours?
• Communication gaps. Where are the cell dead zones? What happens to emergency notifications if cell networks go down? Are there populations that do not receive wireless emergency alerts?
• Cyber. Municipal water systems, power grids, and 911 dispatch are networked and vulnerable. A ransomware attack on county government can shut down emergency services.

Communications Infrastructure

Communications infrastructure deserves its own assessment because it is both an asset category and a lifeline for everything else. When communications fail, coordination fails.

What to map:

• Amateur radio repeaters. Use RepeaterBook to find every repeater within range. Document callsign, frequency, offset, tone, mode (FM, DMR, D-STAR, System Fusion), and whether the repeater has emergency power. Identify which repeaters are linked to wider networks (state ARES, SKYWARN, Peach State Intertie, etc.).
• Cell coverage. Use the FCC Broadband Map and carrier coverage maps to identify dead zones. Note which carrier is dominant in your area and what happens when that carrier goes down.
• Mesh networking. Research whether a Meshtastic mesh network exists in your area. Check meshmap.net for node coverage. Meshtastic operates on 915 MHz ISM band and requires no license.
• PACE plan. Every chapter needs a Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency communications plan. Signal for everyday use, VHF repeater for when cell networks fail, Matrix for encrypted text, and an in-person rally point when all else fails.

Community Demographics

OSINT Sources: The Census American Community Survey provides county-level and census-tract-level data on age, disability status, language spoken at home, income levels, and vehicle access. The CDC Social Vulnerability Index combines multiple Census variables into a single vulnerability score by tract, which is useful for identifying the most vulnerable areas within your county.

Vulnerable Populations

The people who suffer first and worst in any emergency are also the hardest to reach. Knowing where they are is operational awareness.

Find this data through the U.S. Census / American Community Survey at the county and census tract level: age demographics, disability status, language spoken at home, income levels, and vehicle access.

Communication Gaps

Assess these in your area:

• What languages are spoken in your community besides English? Are your county’s emergency alerts available in those languages?
• What percentage of households lack internet access? What percentage of residents do not have smartphones?
• Does your county use wireless emergency alerts, a local opt-in notification system, outdoor sirens, or some combination? What are the gaps?
• Which populations are not reachable by digital means? Plan alternative notification: door-to-door, community bulletin boards, church networks, amateur radio.

Desk Research Deliverables

Before moving to field verification, your desk research should produce:

• Complete list of local government officials with contact information
• Legal baseline: firearms, assembly, recording, and public records laws for your state
• All Tier 1 assets identified and geocoded
• All Tier 2 assets identified and geocoded
• Tier 3 community assets identified
• County hazard mitigation plan obtained and reviewed
• FEMA disaster history for your county
• Communications infrastructure mapped (repeaters, cell coverage, mesh)
• Census demographics and CDC SVI data pulled for your county
• Single points of failure identified
• All data organized and ready for field verification

Phase 2: Field Verification

Desk research tells you what public records say exists. Field verification tells you what is actually there, whether it works, and what the records miss.

Why Field Work Matters

OSINT has hard limits. It cannot tell you whether a gas station can pump fuel during a power outage, whether a fire station listed in a federal database closed six months ago, whether the road to the hospital floods in moderate rain, or whether the repeater on the hilltop has been off the air for a year. Records describe what was true when they were written. Field work tells you what is true now.

Verification Status Codes

Each item in your area study carries a status that tracks its progression from desk research through field confirmation:

Planning Verification Routes

Do not drive the county randomly. Plan routes that cluster assets geographically and prioritize by tier.

1. Start with single points of failure. These are the assets where being wrong has the highest consequence. Verify them first.
2. Then Tier 1 (Life Safety). Hospitals, fire stations, EMS, water, power. Confirm addresses, check for construction, note access routes.
3. Then Tier 2 (Sustainment). Fuel, grocery, pharmacy, cell towers, repeaters. These can be verified in geographic clusters.
4. Tier 3 and community assets can be verified over time as you build relationships.

What to Verify Per Asset Type

Life Safety (Hospitals, Fire, EMS)

• Confirm address and access routes
• Note hours of operation and staffing (24/7 vs. daytime only)
• Check for backup power (generator visible, or ask)
• Note any construction, closures, or access restrictions
• Identify surge capacity limitations

Fuel Stations

• Confirm the station is open and operational
• Ask the manager: can you pump during a power outage? (Backup generator or manual override?)
• Note hours, payment methods, and whether they sell diesel
• Check branding (ownership changes are common)

Grocery and Pharmacy

• Confirm the location is open
• Note hours, including holiday and weekend hours
• Ask about backup power (especially pharmacies with refrigerated medications)
• Note whether the pharmacy can fill controlled substances

Communications (Repeaters)

• Program the repeater into a radio and test from multiple locations in your county
• Note actual coverage compared to claimed coverage
• Check whether the repeater is linked to a wider network
• Attend the repeater’s weekly net to confirm it is active and meet local operators

Single Points of Failure

• Visit the location and document with photographs
• Identify alternative routes, backup sources, or redundancies
• Note conditions that trigger failure (water level for flood zones, wind speed for power lines)

Recording Corrections

Field verification that does not update the data is wasted effort. When verification reveals a discrepancy:

1. Change the item’s status from OSINT to CORRECTED (if the information was wrong) or VERIFIED (if correct).
2. Update the address, hours, phone number, or other fields as needed.
3. Add a note with the date of verification and what changed.
4. Share updated information with the chapter.

Assets not in any database get added as NEW. Assets that no longer exist get marked CLOSED.

Phase 3: Ongoing Maintenance

The area study must be treated as a living document.

Quarterly Review Cycle

Every quarter, review the following:

• Officials. Has anyone left office, been replaced, or been appointed? Update names and contacts.
• Infrastructure. Have any businesses closed? New ones opened? Any construction projects affecting access?
• Threats. Any new incidents since last review? Updated hazard data from FEMA or NOAA?
• Communications. Any repeaters gone off the air? New ones added? Changes to nets or clubs?

Trigger Events

Certain events should trigger an immediate review rather than waiting for the quarterly cycle:

• Elections. New officials take office. Update the government section.
• Business closures or openings. Especially grocery, pharmacy, fuel, or medical facilities.
• Major construction. New roads, demolished buildings, hospital expansions, substation upgrades.
• Disaster events. After any significant weather event, flood, or other incident, verify affected assets.
• Policy changes. New ordinances, changes to state law, updated emergency management plans.

Community Engagement as Continuous Intelligence

Relationships with community organizations are not a project to complete. They are a continuous source of ground-truth intelligence that no database can provide.

Organizations to Connect With

Build on what already exists. These organizations have networks, resources, and local knowledge that take years to develop:

• County emergency management agency. Your primary institutional contact. They coordinate disaster response and know the county’s vulnerabilities.
• Volunteer fire departments. In rural and suburban areas, these are the backbone. They know the territory, the people, and the hazards.
• Amateur radio clubs / ARES groups. Backup communications when all else fails. Find your local group through ARRL.
• Red Cross (local chapter). Shelter management, damage assessment, disaster relief logistics.
• Faith-based organizations. Buildings (shelters), congregations (communication networks), and often food pantries and outreach programs.
• Veterans organizations. VFW, American Legion, Team Rubicon. Trained individuals with a service orientation.
• Food banks / pantries. They know where the food-insecure populations are and have distribution infrastructure.
• County health department. Tracks disease outbreaks, manages public health emergencies, maintains community health data.

Quick-Start Checklist

Work this in order. Twelve weeks from start to a functional, verified area study.

Weeks 1-2: Government and Legal

• Identify your form of local government (mayor-council, council-manager, commission)
• List every elected official in your city and county with name, position, and contact
• Find the schedule for city council, county commission, and school board meetings
• Sign up for every public meeting notification and emergency alert system in your area
• Read your state’s firearms statutes (carry, transport, use of force, ERPO)
• Read your state’s open meetings and public records laws
• Identify whether your state is one-party or all-party consent for recording
• Look up your state’s assembly and permit requirements for organized public events

Weeks 3-6: Infrastructure and Threat Assessment

• Obtain your county’s hazard mitigation plan
• Pull FEMA disaster declaration history for your county
• Map all Tier 1 assets (hospitals, fire/EMS, law enforcement, water, power) using HIFLD and county data
• Map all Tier 2 assets (fuel, food, pharmacy, cell towers, repeaters) using OSM and RepeaterBook
• Map Tier 3 community assets (churches, schools, shelters)
• Identify single points of failure (bridges, substations, distribution centers)
• Map communications infrastructure (repeaters, cell coverage, mesh nodes)
• Pull Census ACS and CDC SVI data for your county
• Contact your county emergency management director to introduce yourself and your chapter

Weeks 7-10: Field Verification

• Plan verification routes by geographic cluster, starting with SPOFs and Tier 1
• Verify all single points of failure in person
• Verify all Tier 1 life safety assets
• Verify Tier 2 sustainment assets (fuel generator status, pharmacy hours, etc.)
• Test repeater coverage from multiple locations in the county
• Update status codes in your data file (OSINT to VERIFIED/CORRECTED/CLOSED/NEW)
• Share updated data with all chapter members

Weeks 11-12: Community Assessment and Outreach

• Pull census data for your county (age, disability, language, income, vehicle access)
• Identify the primary non-English languages in your community
• Map communication gaps (cell dead zones, populations without digital access)
• Identify and contact at least 5 existing community organizations
• Attend at least one city council meeting, one county commission meeting, and one school board meeting

Ongoing

• Quarterly review of all sections
• Post-event updates after any significant incident
• Continuous community engagement and relationship building