Austra Lumina

Illicit Maritime Activity Detection and Monitoring

• JIATF-S is responsible of detection and monitoring in Central & 18th April Interviews:
South America and the Caribbean This week: 11
Total: 30
• Challenge: detecting fast moving objects in large areas of ocean

• We aim to provide real-time visual analytics and GUI for air-crew

and watch floor ops. to make search cycles efficient

Xuan Hao Ong Samuel Jackson Vishakh Hegde Benjamin Tan James Hennessy
Aerospace engineering Technology Computer vision, Military experience, Computer science,
design and prototyping Strategy / Ops applied math risk evaluation international relations
DRUG ROUTES
JIATF-S Historical Data
+ 101% YOY

Goal: Reduce this gap

+ 87% YOY
+ 52% YOY
+ 62% YOY
Customer Discovery: Week 3
Selected Hypotheses
Detecting (and not) persistent
monitoring needs a solution first
Limited interdiction assets (especially
USCG maritime assets) are a rate-
limiting factor on total interdictions
Experiments Results
Interviews, data Validated. Detection comes before monitoring.
With use of go-fast boats, detecting small fast
from sponsor moving objects in sea is key.
Only a fraction of targets are actually detected,
indicating need for attention.
Interviews, Data Partially Validated.
Several USCG sources confirmed that more
from Sponsor interdictions could be achieved with currently
known intel if more assets available.
‘Funnel’ details suggest interdiction not the
“least efficient” part of the process.
Actions
Dig deeper to understand who our beneficiaries are
exactly, their key problems. Validate proposed MVP:
- Increase efficiency of detection cycle for
navigation officer and watch floor analyst by
automating data entry.
- Real-time predictive analytics to guide flight-crew
- GUI and visualization for actionable insight
Sideline for now while emphasizing “detection” mission,
but continue to ask questions about how this problem
affects stakeholders and to understand how to define the
mission and beneficiaries
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Operation Workflow

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 Customer Workflow Diagram
Ops brief
JIATF-S J2 / J3
Prep Ops Plan
Target Planning Cross-talk

Ops Plan Published

Watch Floor Ops Day Watch Tactical Watch Mid

Watch

Bad Guys Shipment Prep Go smuggle some DRUGS!!

Cartel delivery

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Mission Model Canvas: Week 3
Key Partners
- J72, USSOUTHCOM
- JIATF-S, USSOUTHCOM
- Defense tech companies
(contractors)
- Image / video processing
companies
- Military data / sensor
fusion and systems
integrators
Key Resources
Key Activities
- Search for applicable UAV
- System and data integration
- Integrate existing intel
databases and predictive
models
- Build GUI for Nav Officer and
Ops Crew
- Workflow optimization and
automation
- Access to computational
power
- Open-source data analysis
tools
- UAV SMEs (as key sensor
platform)
Value Proposition
- Increase detection rate monitoring
gaps/inefficiencies: negate
time/monetary costs for relocation of
tracked targets reduce time taken to
detect illegal vessels through real-
time predictive model
- Improve decision effectiveness and
efficiency: allow data Watch Floor
Ops Analyst to better monitor/track
targets with persistent surveillance
data assist detection effort by
allowing for real-time input of new
information
- Ease interdiction resource
constraint: improve
coordination/communication with
interdiction agencies
Buy-In/Support
- Access to maritime
intelligence and historical data
- Implementation by
AFSOUTH/USNAVSO
surveillance pilots and JIATF-
S data analyst detection crew
and watch floor ops crew
Deployment
- Introduce unmanned system
AFSOUTH/USNAVSO
operators platform to Nav
Officers and Ops Crew
- Small scale introduction to
validate system integration
- Multi-agency adoption (info-
sharing between agencies,
nations as needed)
Beneficiaries
Primary
- AFSOUTH/USNAVSO/USCG
Navigation Officer deployed for
monitoring missions deployed for
detection missions
- JIATF-S J3 Watch Floor Crew
data analyst part of
monitoring/relocation effort part of
detection effort
Secondary
- USCG interdiction teams
deployed to investigate illegal ships
Tertiary
- Image data analysis companies
- Insurance companies looking to
monitor the safety of insured ships
- Contractors (TBD) involved in
deployment / procurement of
systems or solutions

Mission Budget/Costs Mission Achievement

Fixed: Efficiency gains:
- Design & engineering (software/hardware) - Reduced man-hours and needed to relocate detect illegal vessels
- Market research - Reduced time and costs required to relocate detect illicit ship traffic
- Technology acquisition - Improved time-efficiency of detection-to-deployment process
Variable: Accuracy gains:
- Technology updates - Improve relocation detection rate of illicit activities

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Value Proposition Canvas: Navigation Officer

Gain - Automating the update of

intelligence based on Gains
Creators
integration with asset’s GPS to - Eliminate the
narrow down the hot spots need to update
Products any information Custome
& Services manually r Jobs
Predictive Direct asset
Computer & to the
Interface Pains
- Reduce man-hours spent on suspected
- Maritime area too vessel
trying to detect the suspected
large to search if
vessel
intelligence is lacking
- Shared situational picture
- Have to liaise back and
while both sides can enter
Pain forth with detection
their inputs make coordination
Relievers asset for updates
efforts more efficient

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Value Proposition Canvas: J3 Watch Floor Crew

Gain - Automating the definition of

the search area allows analysts Gains
Creators
to work on other issues, for
example in verifying whether - Reduction /
the suspected vessels are simplification of
Products the workload for Custome
indeed conducting illicit
& Services activities human analyst r Jobs
Predictive Coordinate
Computer & with asset to
Interface Pains
- Predictive algorithm serve to detect
- Coordinate a search suspected
narrow down search areas
in a large maritime vessel
based on historical data
space
- Shared situational picture
- Have to liaise back and
while both sides can enter
Pain forth with detection
their inputs make coordination
Relievers asset for updates
efforts more efficient

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Value Proposition Canvas: USCG Interdiction
Team
Gain - Provide more intelligence to
the interdiction team sent to Gains
Creators
investigate the activities - Reduce risks of
deployment /
Products empower the Custome
team with
& Services r Jobs
updated
Shared information
Locate and
Situational investigate
Interface Pains
suspected
- Challenging to vessel
track down
suspected vessel
without an asset
- Provide real time information
Pain monitoring it
of the suspected vessel’s
Relievers status for interdiction

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Value Proposition Canvas: Mystery Contractor(s)

Gain - X
Gains
Creators
- X

Products Custome
& Services r Jobs
X X
Pains
- X

Pain
Relievers - X

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MVP: Week 2
Semi-autonomous high endurance drone that can be tasked by JIATF-S.

Example: Facebook solar drone/Google balloon

Capabilities:
Object tracking
Relay alert to JIATF-S if target lost

Drug transport vehicle JIATF - 12 of 9

S
MVP: Week 3
Predictive model that
will aid theatre
operations in asset
utilization
- Real-time
recommendations of
changes to search pattern
based on whether
targeted assets detected /
not-detected
- Partial automation of
current task (to be
confirmed)
- Fed by machine learning
using corpus of past
events, and known
features about given
targets from intelligence
sources
Day in the Life: JIATF-S Target Planning

Time Activity Details

0700 Ops/Intel Brief Debrief from the past 24 hours
0800 J2/J3 Fusion Cross talks with intel and ops (IWO,
Intel Cells, LEA LNOs, CDO) to
determine actionable intel
1000/1100 Targeting Meetings - Caribbean and East Pac teams
- Target allocations based on
available assets
- Consensus on next day’s targeting
priorities
1600 DIMS (ops plan) Published
Day in the Life: Watch Floor Ops

Time Activity Details

0900 – 1700 Day Watch - Maintain current ops of the battle rhythm
- Continue getting the ships to the right
places
1700 – 0100 Tactical Watch <- where all the action is
- Collate knowledge from all intel collection
- Plotting resources to targets
0100 - 0900 Mid Watch Prepare 7am Ops Brief
Day in the Life: Bad Guys

Time Activity Details

Before sunset Prepare to depart from source port
Twilight - Avoid high traffic areas
- Offshore refueling of fuel and
food
Before sunrise Rendezvous with Guatemalan or
Mexican cartels offshore
Modes:
1. Long haul from West
Coast of Columbia
2. Exploit int./sovereign
boundaries
3. Deep ocean routes
Workflow Diagram: Week 1

Deploy physical
ships/teams to
investigate
Identification and
Relay info to
Classification:
Detection relevant
Is the activity
authority
illicit?

Take action
against illicit
activity

Current Scope:
How to improve
identification and classification?
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Workflow: Wk 3: no major Δ vs. Wk 2 (yet)
Key workflow task:
Phase 1: Mission identification and asset allocation Target acquisition and tracking

JIATF-S Evaluates
Trigger for JIATF-S JIATF-S Op Analyst
Mission Params,
Specific Maritime Coordinates / Tasks identifies initial
Legal / Policy
Vessel Tracking (Air) Assets to Track search vectoring
Engagement
HUMINT, SIGINT, E.g., adj. strategy to E.g., Navy vs. USAF vs. Information fed to local assets
Partner agencies, etc. protect intel sources DEA, may have air assets

Phase 2: Mission execution – Target acquisition and tracking / monitoring

Air asset search

Hand-off /
Move on-station Asset moves Target Re- Coordination
off-station acquisition to Maritime
Search / Locate (De-tasked; and Assets
night; re- re- (e.g. USCG,
Track
fueling; etc.) identification partner law
Identify enforcement)
Report

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Workflow Diagram: Week 2
DETECTION MONITORING

Human Assets
Intelligence JIATF-S (e.g. MPA)

INTERDICTION & APPREHENSION

Sensors

Coast Partner
Guard Nations

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Whats next
1. Narrow Data Classification steps by interviewing
beneficiaries
2. Define, more specifically, the structure of the data that
gets gathered
3. Explore , possible computer vision,machine learning etc…
techniques to automate processes
4. Identify the full range of Beneficiaries

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Contacts: Interviewed (wk 3)

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