NATO aims to find ways to predict, recognize and deter maritime piracy

A dramatic increase in the number of maritime attacks has exposed the vulnerability of vessels to hostile boarding. Curbing the problem is essential for global trade and security.

Lecturers from the US Office of Navy Research, Eurocrime, Texas A&M University and the World Maritime University will join their peers to present how collaborative human-centric information systems can improve the ability of nations to predict and prevent an incident or, if unsuccessful, to rapidly recognize the nature and size of the incident for a better collective response.

Inherent to the concept of collaborative information support systems are:

• Human-system integration concepts,
• cognitive systems engineering methodologies,
• collaborative environment technologies, and
• knowledge exploitation and data mining technologies instantiated into concepts/approaches of decision support systems (where the human is an integrated part of the system).

Operating in the crisis management and anti-piracy environment, decision-makers at all levels and their staff can use collaborative human-centric information support capabilities to:

• better understand the maritime environment’s vulnerabilities,
• rapidly develop a shared understanding of the operational environment,
• formulate evaluation criteria,
• enhance existing business procedures to address security issues and provide enhanced situational awareness and inter-agency cooperation,
• support crew security awareness and detection training,
• enhance capacity for deterrence, interdiction and/or response, and
• support better policing.

Funded by NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme ,the event will be held in Africa’s northernmost country – Tunisia is both a coastal and maritime country – where maritime security and piracy issues are of top priority.

For more information please visit www.nato.int/science (see “Calendar” for organizers’ contact details).