Scenario 08: Maritime domain awareness data sharing

Overview

Maritime operations require sharing sensor data (radar tracks, AIS, sonar contacts) across multiple navies to create a common operational picture. Commercial shipping data should be shared broadly for safety and security, whilst military vessel data must be restricted based on classification and operational security. Submarine locations are highly sensitive and must be protected even from surface vessels in the same coalition. The challenge is fusing heterogeneous sensor data with different sharing policies whilst maintaining attribution and protecting sensitive capabilities.

Problem statement

Current maritime information sharing uses manual coordination and lowest-common-denominator data sharing. Commercial vessels are tracked openly, but military vessel data is often not shared even with coalition partners, creating gaps in the operational picture. Submarine operations require extreme operational security, but surface vessels need to know where submarines are operating to avoid interference. Automated sensor fusion with policy-based access control could improve maritime domain awareness whilst protecting sensitive operations.

Actors

Participating Navies (4-6 nations)

Surface Vessels: Frigates, destroyers, aircraft carriers
Submarines: Attack submarines, ballistic missile submarines
Maritime Patrol Aircraft: P-8 Poseidon, P-3 Orion
Shore-Based Sensors: Coastal radar, AIS receivers

Commercial Shipping

Vessels: Cargo ships, tankers, fishing vessels
Data: AIS (Automatic Identification System) broadcasts
Sharing: Openly shared for safety and security

Maritime operations centre

Role: Coordinate coalition maritime operations
Personnel: Watch officers, intelligence analysts from multiple nations
Displays: Common operational picture showing all vessels

Sensor Types

Radar: Surface search radar on ships and aircraft
AIS: Automatic Identification System (commercial vessels)
Sonar: Submarine detection (highly classified)
Satellite: Overhead imagery and radar
ELINT: Electronic intelligence (signals from vessels)

Scenario flow

Phase 1: Commercial Shipping Tracking

Context: Coalition navies monitor commercial shipping in operational area for security and safety.

AIS Data (UNCLASSIFIED - Widely Shared):

Vessel: MV NORTHERN STAR
Type: Container ship
Flag: Liberia
Position: 35.5°N, 15.2°E
Course: 045°
Speed: 18 knots
Destination: Malta
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Releasability: All coalition partners, commercial entities
Source: AIS broadcast (open source)

Access Control: - ✅ All coalition navies see commercial shipping - ✅ Commercial entities see commercial shipping - ✅ Port authorities see commercial shipping - ✅ Search and rescue services see commercial shipping

Phase 2: Surface Warship Tracking

Context: Coalition surface vessels operating in same area need to coordinate movements.

UK Frigate Track (SECRET - Coalition):

Vessel: HMS DEFENDER (Type 45 Destroyer)
Position: 35.8°N, 15.5°E
Course: 090°
Speed: 20 knots
Mission: Air defence
Classification: SECRET
Releasability: Coalition partners (UK, US, FR, IT)
Source: UK naval operations centre
Capabilities: [RESTRICTED] - Air defence radar range, weapons systems

US Carrier Strike Group (SECRET - Selective):

Vessel: USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH (Aircraft Carrier)
Position: 36.0°N, 16.0°E
Course: 180°
Speed: 15 knots
Mission: Power projection
Classification: SECRET
Releasability: UK, US (close allies only)
Source: US naval operations centre
Capabilities: [RESTRICTED] - Aircraft operations, strike range
Strike Group Composition: [TOP SECRET] - Submarine escort details

Access Control: - ✅ UK and US see both UK frigate and US carrier - ✅ French and Italian navies see UK frigate - ❌ French and Italian navies see US carrier position but not strike group composition - ❌ Commercial entities cannot see military vessels

Phase 3: Submarine Operations

Context: UK submarine operating in same area. Surface vessels must not interfere, but submarine location is highly classified.

Submarine Operating Area (TOP SECRET - Highly Restricted):

Vessel: HMS ASTUTE (Attack Submarine)
Position: [REDACTED]
Depth: [REDACTED]
Mission: [REDACTED]
Classification: TOP SECRET
Releasability: UK EYES ONLY
Source: UK submarine operations centre

Submarine Exclusion Zone (SECRET - Coalition Surface Vessels):

Area: SUBSURFACE OPERATIONS AREA ALPHA
Boundaries: 35.0°N to 36.0°N, 14.0°E to 16.0°E
Time: 0600Z to 1800Z
Classification: SECRET
Releasability: Coalition surface vessels
Restriction: No active sonar, no ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) operations
Purpose: Friendly submarine operations (details classified)

Access Control: - ✅ Coalition surface vessels see exclusion zone (avoid interference) - ❌ Coalition surface vessels do not see submarine position or mission - ✅ UK submarine operations centre sees all surface vessels (deconfliction) - ❌ US carrier strike group does not see UK submarine position - ✅ UK national command sees submarine position and mission

Phase 4: Sensor Fusion

Context: Multiple sensors detect unknown surface contact. Fusion required to identify and track.

Sensor Reports:

UK Frigate Radar (SECRET):

Contact: UNKNOWN-001
Position: 35.3°N, 15.8°E
Course: 270°
Speed: 25 knots
Classification: SECRET
Source: HMS DEFENDER surface search radar
Confidence: High

US Maritime Patrol Aircraft (SECRET):

Contact: UNKNOWN-001 (correlated)
Position: 35.3°N, 15.8°E
Course: 270°
Speed: 25 knots
Classification: SECRET
Source: P-8 Poseidon radar
Additional Data: No AIS broadcast (suspicious)
Confidence: High

French Satellite (SECRET):

Contact: UNKNOWN-001 (correlated)
Position: 35.3°N, 15.8°E
Image: [ATTACHED]
Classification: SECRET
Source: French military satellite
Additional Data: Fast attack craft profile
Confidence: Medium

Fused Track (SECRET - Coalition):

Contact: UNKNOWN-001 (FUSED)
Position: 35.3°N, 15.8°E
Course: 270°
Speed: 25 knots
Classification: SECRET
Releasability: Coalition partners
Sources: UK radar, US aircraft, FR satellite
Assessment: Likely hostile fast attack craft
Confidence: High
Recommendation: Intercept and identify

Access Control: - ✅ All coalition navies see fused track - ✅ Attribution preserved (which nation provided which sensor data) - ❌ Sensor capabilities (radar range, satellite resolution) restricted - ✅ Tactical recommendation shared with all coalition

Phase 5: Dynamic Access Control

Context: US submarine joins operations. Needs to see surface vessels but must not be revealed to coalition partners.

US Submarine Access: - ✅ US submarine sees all surface vessels (coalition and commercial) - ✅ US submarine sees UK submarine exclusion zone (deconfliction) - ❌ US submarine position not revealed to coalition partners - ✅ US submarine operations centre sees all coalition vessels - ❌ UK does not see US submarine position (national compartmentalisation)

New Exclusion Zone (SECRET - Coalition Surface Vessels):

Area: SUBSURFACE OPERATIONS AREA BRAVO
Boundaries: 36.5°N to 37.5°N, 16.5°E to 18.5°E
Time: 1200Z to 2400Z
Classification: SECRET
Releasability: Coalition surface vessels
Restriction: No active sonar, no ASW operations
Purpose: Friendly submarine operations (details classified)
Note: US submarine operations (not revealed to coalition)

Operational constraints

Real-Time Updates: Vessel positions update every few minutes
Sensor Fusion: Correlate tracks from multiple sensors
Attribution: Maintain source of each sensor report
Submarine Security: Submarine positions highly classified
Commercial Shipping: Openly shared for safety
Capability Protection: Sensor capabilities (range, resolution) restricted
Dynamic Access: Vessels join/leave operations frequently
Graceful Degradation: System works if one nation's sensors unavailable

Technical challenges

Real-Time Fusion: How to correlate tracks from multiple sensors in real-time?
Heterogeneous Data: How to fuse radar, AIS, satellite, sonar data?
Attribution Preservation: How to maintain sensor source through fusion?
Submarine Protection: How to coordinate without revealing submarine positions?
Dynamic Access Control: How to handle vessels joining/leaving operations?
Capability Protection: How to share tracks without revealing sensor capabilities?
Performance: How to update common operational picture in real-time?
Federation: How to coordinate across multiple national maritime operations centres?

Acceptance criteria

AC1: Commercial Shipping Visibility

All commercial vessels visible to all coalition partners
AIS data shared openly
Commercial entities can access commercial shipping data
Real-time updates (every few minutes)

AC2: Surface Warship Coordination

Coalition surface vessels visible to each other
Vessel positions updated in real-time
Mission types visible for coordination
Capabilities restricted appropriately
Deconfliction automatic

AC3: Submarine Protection

Submarine positions highly classified
Submarine exclusion zones visible to surface vessels
Surface vessels cannot determine submarine positions from exclusion zones
Submarines see all surface vessels for deconfliction
National compartmentalisation (UK submarine hidden from US, and vice versa)

AC4: Sensor Fusion

Tracks from multiple sensors correlated automatically
Fused tracks show all contributing sensors
Attribution preserved (which nation provided which sensor)
Confidence levels indicated
Sensor capabilities protected

AC5: Dynamic Access Control

Vessels joining operations gain appropriate access
Vessels leaving operations lose access
Access based on nationality, vessel type, and mission
Real-time access updates
No re-encryption required when access changes

AC6: Multi-Level Classification

Commercial shipping (UNCLASSIFIED)
Surface warships (SECRET)
Submarine operations (TOP SECRET)
Sensor capabilities (TOP SECRET)
Each user sees appropriate classification level

AC7: Comprehensive Audit Trail

All data access logged
Sensor contributions tracked
Fusion operations logged
Access decisions logged
Audit logs support security investigations

AC8: Performance

Real-time track updates (every few minutes)
Sensor fusion completes quickly
Access decisions with minimal latency
Scales to hundreds of vessels
Common operational picture updates in real-time

AC9: Capability Protection

Radar ranges not revealed
Satellite resolution not revealed
Sonar capabilities highly classified
Tracks shared without revealing sensor capabilities
Attribution shows sensor type but not detailed capabilities

AC10: Federation

Each nation operates independent maritime operations centre
Coordination works if one nation's centre unavailable
No central authority required
Each nation maintains sovereignty over their data

Success metrics

Track Accuracy: Fused tracks accurately represent vessel positions
Update Latency: Real-time updates propagate quickly
Submarine Security: Submarine positions never revealed to unauthorised personnel
Fusion Effectiveness: Multiple sensor reports correctly correlated
Attribution Accuracy: Sensor sources correctly identified
User Satisfaction: Watch officers find common operational picture effective
Audit Completeness: All access attempts logged

Example use cases

Use case 1: Anti-piracy operations

Commercial Shipping: Openly tracked for protection Naval Vessels: Coalition frigates visible to each other Suspicious Contacts: Fused from multiple sensors, shared with all coalition Submarine: Not involved, no submarine exclusion zones

Use case 2: Carrier strike group operations

US Carrier: Position shared with close allies only Strike Group Composition: Highly classified (includes submarine escort) Coalition Support: Surface vessels coordinate with carrier Submarine Escort: Position hidden even from coalition surface vessels

Use case 3: Submarine operations

UK Submarine: Conducting intelligence collection Exclusion Zone: Surface vessels notified to avoid interference Submarine Position: Hidden from all coalition partners Surface Vessels: Visible to submarine for deconfliction

Out of scope

Tactical data links (Link 11, Link 22) - separate system
Weapons systems coordination - separate system
Underwater communications - separate system
Long-term intelligence analysis - separate system

Scenario 01: Coalition strategic sharing - long-term intelligence sharing
Scenario 06: Intelligence fusion - sensor data fusion
Scenario 07: Coalition air operations - airspace coordination

Key assumptions

Real-Time Requirements: Few-minute latency acceptable for vessel tracking
Sensor Correlation: Automated correlation of tracks from multiple sensors
Trust Framework: Nations trust maritime operations centre infrastructure
Technical Capability: Nations can integrate sensors with operations centre
Submarine Security: Submarine protection takes precedence over coordination

Risk considerations

Security Risks: - Submarine positions revealed through exclusion zones or track correlation - Sensor capabilities revealed through track accuracy - Military vessel positions leaked to adversaries - Audit logs reveal operational patterns

Operational Risks: - Over-restrictive access controls create coordination gaps - Sensor fusion errors create false tracks - Real-time performance insufficient for safety - Submarine exclusion zones interfere with surface operations

Mitigation Strategies: - Large exclusion zones prevent submarine position determination - Sensor capabilities abstracted in fused tracks - Redundant sensors for critical areas - Regular exercises to test coordination procedures - Continuous monitoring and performance optimisation

For air operations equivalents, see Scenario 07. For general coalition sharing, see Scenario 01.