Satellite imagery helps
Combating illegal trafficking at sea

The French authorities in charge of maritime affairs are looking to patrol maritime zones and establish enforcement and deterrence systems.

Identified need

To support its efforts to combat illegal trafficking, the French Navy called on Spot Image to supply a satellite-based maritime surveillance system. Integrated with other operational assets, the information from this system was designed to detect small go-fast boats within a zone spanning several thousand sq.km (in coastal areas and out to sea) that is impossible to cover with aircraft and boats alone.

Satellite imagery is a vital complement to ensure effective surveillance of large maritime areas.

Innovative solution

Spot Image offers an end-to-end solution tailored to the requirements of enforcement agencies charged with combating illegal activities.
Satellite imagery provides information for operations centres in less than 2 hours, enabling fast and effective enforcement actions.

Spot Image’s satellites detect boats smaller than 10 metres long over areas of around 40,000 sq.km in a single pass, several times a week.





Software interface OceanW@y





SPOT 5 scene

Key advantages

Exclusive multi-source data:
- constellation of satellites ensuring frequent revisits over large areas
- complementary data obtained from optical and radar sensors
Very short turnaround times, with near-real-time reception (direct receiving station)
Tried-and-tested, immediately operational system

Project steps

1. Analyse customer requirements to define what areas to observe and when, and which satellites to use.
2. Spot Image then draws up a tasking plan to fulfil the requirement, in accordance with sensor capacity and coverage areas.
3. Images are acquired, processed, analysed and delivered in less than 2 hours.
4. Operations teams decide enforcement actions on the strength of detection reports.
5. Enforcement teams are deployed to the areas identified.

		Resources
	- Direct receiving station - Spot Image satellite tasking and image production service - Turnkey OceanW@y platform providing software interface to manage the entire process from report generation to delivery - Expert photo-interpreter

Results

This service was implemented in 2009 and detected 13 small go-fast boats, which would be very difficult to detect without satellite imagery, over a period of 20 days.

Detection reports were delivered to operations personnel in less than 2 hours, making it possible to intercept the boats within the range of enforcement teams.

Personnel confirmed 6 targets and intercepted 2 of them directly in the zone monitored.

The concept has been proven by the very positive results the French Navy has achieved.

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