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India is projected to emerge as one of the largest
players in the global homeland security market
by 2020. The Ministry of Home Affairs announced
plans to create a National Information Grid that
can essentially integrate the existing databases
of intelligence and enforcement agencies across
the country. The Government of India has also
expedited the acquisition of critical equipment
and items to improve the homeland security infrastructure.
With the increasing frequency and diverse nature
of threats to the country, what previously used
to take place as uncoordinated activities by different
branches and chapters of law-enforcement agencies,
is now consolidated under an architecture that
allows disparate agencies and their chapters to
gather specific and useful information, and share
the same across a network of interested parties.
This architecture, loosely termed homeland security
is today seen as vital to the continued survival
of the state. Homeland security needs to leverage
the technological advances and practices of the
day and keep pace with the increasing technological
prowess of sources of threats.
The penetration of technology is high and complex
in the homeland security domain, given that there
are different areas to be considered: such as
baggage screening, biometric passports, video
surveillance, public safety networks, wireless
broadband systems, radar systems and cyberspace
surveillance among others. Broadly, homeland security
encompasses Border and Coastal Surveillance, Force
Tracking and Management, Critical Infrastructure
Protection, Emergency Response / Operation Center,
Mobile Command and Control, Intelligence and Interception,
and Biometrics solution.
C4ISR – ARE THEY REALLY
INTEGRATED?
C4ISR, adapted from its military origins, is
a framework for organizing the variety of information
emanating from a situation (typically a crisis),
in a manner that enables non-local users to analyse
such information (from multiple sources); act
on that information or advise local players on
actions to be taken; receive feedback from local
players on actions taken; based on which a follow-up
set of actions or advice can be initiated, towards
the objective of resolving the situation to the
advantage of the users. C4ISR systems make extensive
use of technology.
EFFECTIVE C4ISR COMPONENTS
 Stakeholders
For a C4ISR system to be effective, involving
all stakeholder groups for providing solutions
to any emergency or accident scene is critical.
Imagine an emergency situation similar to the
December 2004 tsunami that hit the south-eastern
coast of India. The Power department representatives,
water/sanitation department, local hospitals and
police force had to be involved on an immediate
basis, followed by Air Force personnel to air-lift
trapped civilians, and maybe even the Armed Forces
to avoid crimes being committed in the ensuing
chaos. For quick action and assistance to the
local people, it would be essential for all the
departments to be connected through a single communication
system that can centrally monitored by personnel
based in the headquarters. This would ensure quick
and simultaneous transfer of information, including
video, images and data, which can help the authorities
take quick decision and alert the on-field staff
simultaneously.
A comprehensive and allencompassing security
system should involve different stakeholder bodies
such as the Coast Guard, Navy, Army, Paramilitary
Forces, Airport authorities, Metros, Ports, Critical
Sites, Border security personnel, Fire services,
Intelligence, EOC/EMC, Rescue Operations representatives
and Medical response units working seamlessly
as a single cohesive unit.
Sensors
Sensors are the eyes, ears, and skin of a surveillance
network, and the effectiveness of the surveillance
set-up in a particular environment is critically
dependent on the type and specifications of the
sensors employed in the network. For example,
what use is a surveillance camera without IR-illuminators
for a 24x7 surveillance operation? If the camera
does not provide a WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) feature
or include the ambient light sensitivity and compensation,
the security system will neither be comprehensive
nor meet the requirements of the security operation.
There are a variety of sensor technologies in
the market such as Wired and Wireless IP Video,
mega pixel cameras, IR cameras, thermal cameras,
access control, induction loop sensors, video
wall, video analytics, fire detectors, movement
detectors, vibration detectors, IR barrier, RF
barrier, etc. Each of these sensors provides unique
data / images that can be combined in different
ways to get a comprehensive image / data source
of the situation or area being surveyed.
Choosing a sensor technology will be a function
of parameters such as cost, the potential entities-undersurveillance,
surveillance range, the terrain of the area-under-surveillance,
and the features to be captured (of the entities-under-surveillance).
 Open
System Structure
Sensor-independence allows the solution to integrate
new sensors (based on new technologies) at a future
point in time. Cartographic independence allows
the solution to support a variety of map formats.
A decentralized and Services-Oriented- Architecture
(SOA) allows the system to be managed from any
fixed or mobile network device, providing an added
robustness, in the event of failures or crisis
situations.
In an open system, an integrated management console
can be set up that will allow the users to monitor
many types of sub-systems such as call processing,
sensors, DVR / NVR, Computer-Aided Dispatching,
AVL, Interactive Voice Response, Data management,
GIS, Emergency notification, among others. The
user would have to dispatch information to the
first line of emergency responders, share video
streams in real-time for remote or local monitoring
and review/analysis, Blue Force Tracking (BFT)
for quick on-field response and simultaneously
do other functionalities related to the event.
Vendor Agnostic Platforms
Integration of old and new technologies is essential
in our country. To start off with, it need not
be mandatory for all security and law enforcement
agencies to upgrade their old technology-based
communications equipment in order to set up the
latest network. C4ISR solutions have to be vendor
agnostic platforms that can link any type of communications
technology or brand with others. These communications
technologies could include some or all of the
following - PABX or GSM/GPRS telephone lines,
PMR or UHF/VHF/HF radio, trunking (Analogue-MPT1327,
TETRA-P25, TETRAPOL), VoIP (VoIPSIP/ H323, Gateways)
or others such as PA systems and intercoms. Not
just communications equipment, the integration
also has to happen with different types and brands
of sensors into the system, including both old
and new technologies.
KEY ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESS
Integration with Legacy systems – Seamless integration
of the different components of a security system
is essential to obtain maximum efficiency and
effectiveness. The integration also needs to extend
to backend applications such as e-governance systems
and other online and IT systems. While existing
systems have to be re-used, the technology and
equipment used in the systems have to be upgraded
continuously to keep abreast with technology developments
globally.
Ease of Use – For field staff who deal with a
multitude of incidents and people, the systems
and the user interfaces have to be simple and
uncomplicated. Hi-tech gadgets and software that
require intensive training will not serve the
purpose. If the man on the ground cannot use it,
it is useless! Any type of complexity will mean
that the system will not be used. Complexities
and advanced technologies have to be hidden at
the back-end of the system. It is essential to
remember that while the design of these security
systems are being done by engineers, the end-user
of the system is not an engineer. The system has
to be capable of providing data from any database
and at any time.
Several companies offer readyto- deploy, proven,
high-technology solutions for strategic and tactical
requirements. The Mobile C4ISR Platforms are a
range of unique vehicles that are easily deployable
solutions for tactical operations and other security
requirements.
The solution consists of a customized vehicle
with either or all of the following: IP video
surveillance equipment, command and control module,
video management and analytics and monitoring
stations.
The video surveillance solution from Mistral;
consisting of Wireless/ Wired Fixed IP cameras,
Wired IP PTZ cameras, Network Video Recorder and
Video Management Software (VMS); offers long-range
wired and wireless capability coupled with high-quality
video and audio; with on-site and remote video
management. The command and control modules provides
a group of functions for integrated emergency
management; the three modules under this include
Call-taking and Dispatch, Communications matrix
and Cartography mapping and resource locator.
Applications like Dial ‘100’, Safe City, Mass
Transit Security, Critical Infrastructure Protection,
Mobile Command and Control and other critical
security applications are available from leading
companies.
CONCLUSION
The security of a country is largely dependent
on a number of groups of people working in tandem
through the use of a variety of technologyled
systems and components. While the focus on homeland
security in India has only recently increased
manifold, it will take a long time for the systems
to be established and function efficiently. The
current technology needs of the Indian homeland
security industry have to be systematically and
strategically met that will ensure that the future
is secure for the next generation.
The author is Chairman,
Mistral Solutions Pvt Ltd. Bangalore.
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