NATO thanks DRDC for new Vessel Monitoring System

3 Mar 2006

A team of DRDC Atlantic scientists recently received a Certificate of Appreciation from the NATO Maritime Group 1 for their rapid response to the request for operational support for HMCS Athabaskan, as she prepared for a seven-month deployment as the flagship for the NATO fleet.

Director General Ross Graham presented the certificate to Tim Hammond, Mark McIntyre, Lloyd Whitehorne, and Lieutenant-Commander Mario Boutin, who integrated information from the Automated Information System (AIS) into HMCS Athabaskan's command and control system. The Certificate, signed by Commodore J.A.D. Rouleau, Commander of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, thanked the DRDC members for their efforts "in preparing the Flagship and staff for the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1." The heading read "our success rested on your support – DRDC Atlantic."

The team, with George Carson from MARLANT N6, and CarteNav (a Halifax-area contractor), worked diligently to develop a system that would be ready to install when HMCS Athabaskan left for Europe in January to take command of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, part of the NATO Rapid Reaction Force.

AIS regularly broadcasts a ship's identity, position, and speed, as well as voyage related data such as cargo and next port-of-call. This information is very valuable to naval decision makers aboard ships and at shore-based operations centres where they are interested in maintaining complete awareness of marine traffic in their areas of responsibility.

To make use of this information, DRDC Atlantic developed the AIS Vessel Monitoring System (AVMS). Once installed, the system collects AIS data and relays it by satellite telephone to a shore site, allowing any vessel to be a data collector for the Recognized Maritime Picture. With a few alterations, the team adapted the AVMS interface, allowing HMCS Athabaskan to effectively integrate AIS contacts into its command and control system and to share this enhanced situational awareness with the NATO Maritime Command and Control System.