---
description: >-
  A tool by Google to catalogue uploaded documents and files, providing OCR,
  indexing, and other services. Full access only granted to journalists,
  academic researchers and university students.
---

# Pinpoint

## URL

[https://journaliststudio.google.com/pinpoint/about](https://journaliststudio.google.com/pinpoint/about)

## Description

Pinpoint is a research tool designed to assist journalists and academics in examining and analyzing large document collections. With Pinpoint, users can upload and search through documents, images, emails, handwritten notes, and transcriptions of audio files to find specific keywords, locations, organizations, or individuals. It is part of the [Journalist Studio](https://journaliststudio.google.com/), Google’s free tool kit for research, data analysis, and data visualization. It also supports metadata extraction, so users can search by fields like date, sender, etc.

Users can store up to [200,000 documents ](https://support.google.com/pinpoint/answer/11955480?hl=en-IN#upload_documents)in each collection, extract text from handwritten documents to make them searchable, query text from images, transcribe audio recordings and search for identifiers in image collections.

Its "extract structured data" function allows you to convert similarly structured documents into a spreadsheet which can be exported to Excel, Google Sheets or a database.

For example, using Pinpoint, you can search for mentions of keywords like "abuse" or "violence" in [Washington Post's public collection of COVID-19 Nursing Home Inspections](https://journaliststudio.google.com/pinpoint/search?collection=989c939c11b20432):

<figure><img src="https://1607018381-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FFuL0vtRVpXHiKZgFkMFR%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b0c4e1bd636893c8496aac7b99d82f42ed75a4d0%2FScreenshot%202024-11-12%20at%201.51.56%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Cost

* [x] Free
* [ ] Partially Free
* [ ] Paid

## Level of difficulty

<table><thead><tr><th data-type="rating" data-max="5"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Requirements

Anyone with a [Google account](https://support.google.com/pinpoint/answer/11948321?hl=en) can browse and use public collections by other organizations. However, you need to certify [here](https://journaliststudio.google.com/pinpoint/requestaccess) that you are an academic or a journalist in order to use the platform for your own documents.

Researchers can apply through [this form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd2owbRY5gLj6iXDSgPrPapsPoFo4xD2VLmrAhJ24d-Isq1xQ/viewform) for early access to generative AI features.

<figure><img src="https://1607018381-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FFuL0vtRVpXHiKZgFkMFR%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-67c00f92bd23c30214cbed92609cde9919fc0e4e%2Fimage%20(1).png?alt=media" alt=""><figcaption><p>The sign-up process requires information like the user's full name and the name of the employer.</p></figcaption></figure>

## Limitations & Ethical Considerations

Pinpoint has experimental features that use Google's Generative AI solutions, and according to [this notice](https://support.google.com/pinpoint/answer/14338615?hl=en) on Generative AI in Pinpoint, these features "may display inaccurate information, including information about people." Additionally, some of the information you provide may be used to improve functionality, and "Google [human reviewers may read, annotate and process a sample of your Pinpoint data](https://support.google.com/pinpoint/answer/14338615?hl=en), including your prompts and thumbs up or down feedback." As a result, Google cautions against including information "that can be used to identify you, such as phone numbers, email addresses, or birth dates when using Pinpoint’s generative AI features."

Exercise caution and/or check with your parent organization before uploading sensitive or proprietary information, documents and data into Pinpoint.

According to [Pinpoint Additional Terms of Service](https://support.google.com/pinpoint/answer/13071911?hl=en), "if you upload content to Pinpoint, you give Google permission to use that content, including to operate and promote Pinpoint, in accordance with the [Google Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) and [Google’s Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy)."

Keep in mind that Pinpoint's generative AI features are currently only available in a [list of countries](https://support.google.com/pinpoint/answer/14338615?hl=en#support_countries).

## Guides and articles

[Getting Started with Pinpoint](https://support.google.com/pinpoint/answer/11948320?hl=en\&ref_topic=11949739\&sjid=5429787754045626721-NC), and [video](https://newsinitiative.withgoogle.com/resources/trainings/pinpoint/video-getting-started-with-pinpoint/)

[How to make the most of Pinpoint](https://www.fastcompany.com/90841519/how-to-make-the-most-of-pinpoint-part-of-googles-toolkit-for-journalists) by Fast Company

## Tool provider

Google, US

## Advertising Trackers

* [x] This tool has not been checked for advertising trackers yet.
* [ ] This tool uses tracking cookies. Use with caution.
* [ ] This tool does not appear to use tracking cookies.

| Page maintainer           |
| ------------------------- |
| Bellingcat Volunteer Team |
|                           |
