The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory launched its PROTEUS pilot project in early June and invited multiple government and private agencies to try the integrated system of maritime domain awareness capabilities. The pilot is scheduled for multiple months.
PROTEUS is used to identify, query, and filter maritime vessels based on user-defined criteria and provides near-real time global maritime situational awareness.
This is accomplished by supplying multi-source data ingestion and fusion services and automatically generating and maintaining worldwide vessel tracks. The PROTEUS system comprises a data collector and aggregator, a multi-source data fusion engine, a complex event processor, a maritime domain awareness services layer, a web-based common operating picture and analytic tools.
“Understanding the global maritime domain is a complex and challenging undertaking,” said Alan Hope, PROTEUS program manager at NRL. “PROTEUS is needed to protect our vulnerable maritime borders from illicit activity as well as support international efforts against illegal fishing and human trafficking.”
Currently, Customs & Border Protection’s Homeland Security Investigations, US Coast Guard, Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, and NOAA’s Offices of
Law Enforcement and Marine Sanctuaries utilize the PROTEUS pilot program. State and local law enforcement agencies such as the Delaware Information & Analysis Center and Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (CA) are also using PROTEUS in support of their work in the maritime domain.
“PROTEUS is an exciting new U.S. government Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) system providing a powerful array of MDA information and analysis tools,” said Cameron Naron, Director of Maritime Security, US Maritime Administration. “This system enables MDA stakeholders to collaboratively discover and investigate suspicious and illegal maritime activity throughout the world in ways never before possible.”
Additional actions supported by PROTEUS include:
- Counter Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF)
- Maritime Protected Areas (MPAs)
- Search and Rescue (SAR)
- Critical Infrastructure Protection
- Environmental Protection & Response
- Maritime Law Enforcement
- Counter smuggling (drugs, weapons, money, people)
“NRL is pleased to have multiple agencies from the maritime domain using PROTEUS to assist them in their operational mission areas,” Hope said. “Moreover, I think there are even more federal, state and local government agencies that can benefit from integrating PROTEUS into their operations.”
Source: NRL
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