Maritime Security Sensor Network Based on Ultra-Wideband Electromagnetic Waves Forward Scattering phenomena

海上安全前向散射传感器网络是保护国家海上资产和利益的一种新颖、经济的系统。海上安全和相关的国家经济和政治利益是英国政府和国际社会的重要战略优先事项。最近的例子可以在波斯湾找到，这个地区每年有数十亿英镑的商船运输，海上安全的缺乏为海盗创造了机会。另一个例子是墨西哥湾的深水地平线石油泄漏（技术问题的结果），它表明了这种海上灾难的代价，这可能使它成为恐怖分子袭击的潜在诱人目标。它还突出了石油泄漏的检测和动态跟踪问题。目前有许多系统用于海面的远程监测。每个系统都有自己的能力和局限性。因此，似乎不可能研制出一种系统来解决海洋监测的所有问题，其分辨率足以探测和自动识别小物体。解决方案在于系统的组合。因此，非常欢迎引入新的工具，特别是能够填补现有安全系统空白的工具。该项目旨在开发一种全新的、具有成本效益的海事应用安全传感器网络。拟议的系统将由一串轻型锚定浮标维持，浮标分布在几英里的范围内，配备超宽带（UWB）前向散射（FS）传感器，能够在全天候条件下早期自动检测和识别不合作的入侵者。该网络的目标是探测低可见性、小型和潜在的低速海上目标，如船只（可能用于自杀任务或走私人口、毒品或武器）；半淹没物（对海上交通和海上设施有危险的丢失的集装箱或冰山）；环境控制（溢油检测）；等。该系统可用于更传统的监测工具无法操作的地方，并将取代或补充它们。它将对新出现的海上情况有效，例如保护海上风能农场和专属经济区边界，跟踪海盗路线等等。该项目的工程输出将包括在实际海洋条件下对系统片段进行演示和测试，从而与工业合作伙伴和最终用户共同制定系统的详细生产规范。最终，一个全新的产品将被开发和制造出来，面向世界市场，这将为英国带来经济效益，并加强其在高科技市场的地位。

A maritime security forward scattering sensor network is a novel and cost-effective system to protect national offshore assets and interests. Maritime security and related national economical and political interests are strategically important priorities for the UK Government and the world community in general. The most recent example can be found in the Persian Gulf, a region which sees billions of pounds of merchant traffic annually and where a lack of maritime security has created opportunities for piracy. Another example is the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (the result of technical problems) which demonstrated the cost of this kind of maritime catastrophe which might make it a potentially attractive target for a terrorist attack. It also highlighted the problem of the detection and dynamic tracking of oil spills. A number of systems are currently employed for the remote monitoring of the sea surface. Each system has its own capabilities and limitations. It seems unlikely, therefore, that any one system could be developed to solve all the problems of sea monitoring with a resolution sufficient to permit the detection and automatic identification of small objects. The solution lies in a combination of systems. For this reason, the introduction of new tools and specifically tools capable of filling the gaps in the existing security systems is very much welcomed. This project aims to develop a brand-new, cost-effective security sensor network for maritime application. The proposed system would be maintained on a chain of light anchored buoys spread over a range of several miles equipped with ultra-wideband (UWB) forward scatter (FS) sensors enabling earlier automatic detection and identification of non-cooperative intruders in all-weather conditions. The network targets the detection of low-visible, small, and potentially low-speed maritime targets such as boats (which might be used for suicide missions or for smuggling people, drugs or weapons); semi-submerged objects (lost containers or icebergs dangerous for maritime traffic and offshore installations); environmental control (oil spill detection); etc. The system could be used where more traditional monitoring tools are unable to operate and would replace or complement them. It would be effective for emerging maritime situations, e.g. to protect offshore wind energy farms and EEZ boundary, to track the routes of pirates and so forth. The engineering outputs from the project will include a demonstration and testing of the system fragment in real marine conditions leading to a detailed production specification of the system developed with industrial partners and end users. Eventually a brand new product would be developed and manufactured for the world market and it would bring economic benefits to the UK and strengthen its position in the high-tech market.