The coastal National Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (NC3I) network that will complete the sensory elements of the maritime security domain awareness architecture of the country, will have 51 information and communication nodes to the Indian Navy (IN) and the Indian Coast Guards (ICG).
Soon to be launched, the integrated network NC3I will create the ‘common operational picture,’ says the assistant chief of Naval Staff, KK Pandey for the user agencies to act upon. ‘The data feed constituents of the NC3I network includes the chain of static sensors of the ICG, Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system fitted on merchant vessels.’
The raw information gathered by the sensors, transmitted over the network will be geospatially aggregated at the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC), to be based in Gurgaon. Pandey clarifies, ‘The IMAC ensures processing of data feeds received from various sources to produce an aggregated and correlated picture, which is disseminated to all users.’
The ACNS Communication, Space Network Centric Warfare oversees the functioning the NC3I. In written responses to a questionnaire, when asked whether there were dedicated IN and ICG assets deployed to respond to graded threat levels, the senior IN official responded, ‘Both the Navy and the Coast Guard possess manpower and inventory of aircraft and ships to address coastal security. Active deployment of assets of the Navy and Coast Guard is undertaken by the respective operational authorities of the two Services.’
In terms of dynamic nature of the process, ‘The NC3I network presents a real time picture of the current situation at sea. This picture is, therefore, a dynamic representation based on the detection of various craft made by contributing sensors of the network.’
However, while all this may create an impression of a situation that is fully operational and provides almost foolproof security system on the two coasts in the east and western seabord, the ground level picture is not so complete.
For example, the AIS system is yet to be installed on many of the lakhs of fishing trawlers and boats. There are issues of cost and convenience attached to them as the ASI instrumentation is expensive and not all owners find it enabling for them to procure it.
The LRIT is now in place for tracking the merchant vessels but the identify friend or foe (IFF) equipment needs to be switched on to be detected and classified by the equipment. But as the pieces slowly fall in place, coastal security is ready to make a quantum jump soon.
Soon to be launched, the integrated network NC3I will create the ‘common operational picture,’ says the assistant chief of Naval Staff, KK Pandey for the user agencies to act upon. ‘The data feed constituents of the NC3I network includes the chain of static sensors of the ICG, Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system fitted on merchant vessels.’
The raw information gathered by the sensors, transmitted over the network will be geospatially aggregated at the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC), to be based in Gurgaon. Pandey clarifies, ‘The IMAC ensures processing of data feeds received from various sources to produce an aggregated and correlated picture, which is disseminated to all users.’
The ACNS Communication, Space Network Centric Warfare oversees the functioning the NC3I. In written responses to a questionnaire, when asked whether there were dedicated IN and ICG assets deployed to respond to graded threat levels, the senior IN official responded, ‘Both the Navy and the Coast Guard possess manpower and inventory of aircraft and ships to address coastal security. Active deployment of assets of the Navy and Coast Guard is undertaken by the respective operational authorities of the two Services.’
In terms of dynamic nature of the process, ‘The NC3I network presents a real time picture of the current situation at sea. This picture is, therefore, a dynamic representation based on the detection of various craft made by contributing sensors of the network.’
However, while all this may create an impression of a situation that is fully operational and provides almost foolproof security system on the two coasts in the east and western seabord, the ground level picture is not so complete.
For example, the AIS system is yet to be installed on many of the lakhs of fishing trawlers and boats. There are issues of cost and convenience attached to them as the ASI instrumentation is expensive and not all owners find it enabling for them to procure it.
The LRIT is now in place for tracking the merchant vessels but the identify friend or foe (IFF) equipment needs to be switched on to be detected and classified by the equipment. But as the pieces slowly fall in place, coastal security is ready to make a quantum jump soon.