The systems engineering design of a smart Forward Operating Base surveillance system for forward operating base protection

Abstract

Forward operating bases are vulnerable to terrorist activity due to their location and limited resources. Threat awareness under these conditions is paramount to the safety of the personnel and to mission accomplishment. In the absence of the manpower required to maintain complete and continuous monitoring of the FOBs surroundings, an automated surveillance system is needed. The Smart FOB Surveillance System (SFSS) employs a multi-agent behavior analysis and decision system with Swarm Intelligence (SI) through a network-centric systems engineering method of development to create a robust surveillance system. The SFSS provides the capability of an intelligence automated system for continuously monitoring areas for certain behaviors, linking individuals, predicting future behaviors, and taking appropriate action against them to eliminate threats and the possibility of future threats. Environments, such as insurgent urban areas, Forward Operating Bases, country borders, and other high-value target areas all require constant personnel behavior surveillance and monitoring. The SFSS utilizes a complex network of aerial, fixed and mobile terrestrial units, capable of identifying and processing audible, visual, and signal intelligence in order to determine personnel behavior in a given area of interest as well as recording and processing intelligence data. The focus is on creating a system to protect Forward Operating Bases (FOB) by providing continuous and autonomous surveillance and threat alerts. In this manner, a Smart FOB Surveillance System (SFSS) will be designed in this thesis using the systems engineering process.