Maritime Surveillance and Information Sharing Systems for Better Situational Awareness on the European Maritime Domain: A Literature Review

Abstract

This chapter concentrates on the principles and practices of the different ways of conducting maritime surveillance, and compares the advantages and disadvantages of different solutions. European maritime authorities aim at increasing situational awareness, and it is unlikely that any single system would fulfil all the tasks needed in maritime surveillance. To ensure safety and security on the maritime domain requires good situational awareness by the Member States of the European Union. The purpose of this study is to investigate maritime surveillance and information sharing systems and how they can improve maritime safety and security. The research questions are how maritime surveillance solutions enhance security and safety and how information sharing enhances awareness on the cyber situation in the European maritime domain? Current maritime surveillance solutions include coastal radars, satellite surveillance, boat patrolling, and both manned and unmanned aerial surveillance. The common information sharing environment for the EU maritime domain (CISE) is used for common situational awareness between European maritime authorities. Though an extensive and objective comparison of naval surveillance systems, based on public sources, is challenging because information from different sensors and providers is difficult to compare, the authors discuss advantages and barriers for various maritime surveillance systems.