Integrating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles into surveillance systems in complex maritime environments
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Authors
Dimitriou, Georgios
Subjects
Agent-based Modeling
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Design of Experiment
Maritime Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance
Map-Aware Non- Uniform Automata (MANA)
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Design of Experiment
Maritime Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance
Map-Aware Non- Uniform Automata (MANA)
Advisors
Kennedy, Quinn
Date of Issue
2013-09
Date
Sep-13
Publisher
Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
One of the most important missions all Navies have is to constantly and sufficiently monitor their area of responsibility. This task becomes more challenging when a surveillance system operates in a complex environment with high traffic of merchant and fishing vessels and the existence of many islands. Potential tactics that targets might use increase the difficulty of this task. Integrating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) into a surveillance system that consists of ground radars and surface ships might enhance the systems capabilities and mitigate its vulnerabilities. In this study, the extremely complex maritime environment of the Aegean Sea is modeled in the Map Aware Non Uniform Automata (MANA) agent-based simulation environment to explore the effectiveness of UAVs in those conditions. The results from almost 100,000 simulated Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance missions are analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, stepwise regression, and partition trees. It was found that by integrating one or two UAVs into a traditional surveillance system, it becomes more efficient in the detection and persistent surveillance of enemies and neutral targets. The most important factors that affect the surveillance systems performance are the detection capabilities of its sensors, the communication accuracy, and the enemys counter-detection capability. Thus, Greece and other countries with similar geographical characteristics should deploy UAVs in a maritime surveillance role.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Computer Science
Organization
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NPS Report Number
Sponsors
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Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.