PERSEUS: Protection of European seas and borders through the intelligent use of surveillance

PERSEUS contributes to Europe’s efforts to control illegal immigration and combat associated crime and smuggling by proposing a large-scale demonstration of an EU maritime surveillance system of systems, building on existing national systems and platforms, enhancing them with innovative capabilities and going beyond the expectations of EUROSUR 2013 by addressing key challenges:

• Supporting the network created by the National Contact Centres, Frontex and EMSA through enhanced capacities, including the transnational exchange of useful and available information and associated procedures and mechanisms, thus supporting the creation of a common information sharing environment.Recognising the evolving nature of the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance, the hallmark of this proposal is that it is flexible, responsive, inclusive, efficient, innovative, value-adding and supportive.
• Generating a common situational picture.
• Improved detection and identification of uncooperative/suspicious small craft and low-flying aircraft.
• Improved and increasingly automated detection of abnormal vessel behaviour, identification of threats and tracking and reporting of unidentified vessels.

PERSEUS articulates this demonstration through 5 exercises grouped into 2 campaigns, executing drug trafficking prevention and illegal migration control missions and providing continuous surveillance from the coastal areas to the high seas. PERSEUS offers a comprehensive set of validated and proven recommendations and proposes standards. PERSEUS has brought together leading users and suppliers, ensuring privileged access to existing surveillance systems and resources for optimal coverage of the area of interest. These users will define, evaluate and validate the alignment of PERSEUS recommendations to their own needs. PERSEUS also includes an evolution mechanism to broaden the user base and integrate emerging technologies during its lifetime. PERSEUS will increase the effectiveness of the operational capacity of existing systems, a relevant and coordinated contribution to the establishment of a Europe-wide integrated maritime border control system.