Homeland/National Security

Securing the Maritime Transportation System: A GIS Concept of Operations 

Geographic information system (GIS) technology, a foundational security platform increasingly adopted by port communities, unifies various mission requirements and operationalizes information to secure our Maritime Transportation System (MTS). Its integration empowers ports to streamline operations and enhance real-time, actionable decision-making, effectively addressing diverse security challenges and instilling confidence in the port’s safety for personnel, stakeholders, and the greater maritime community.

Ports bring together all intermodal transportation methods, establishing pivotal hubs in global trade and transportation networks and serving as the backbone of a secure homeland. The fundamental role of ports in facilitating international commerce makes them strategically vital yet inherently vulnerable. The magnitude and variety of goods and passengers passing through ports amplify these vulnerabilities, making ports attractive targets for terrorism, criminal activities, and economic disruption. This underscores the urgent need for robust security measures, as the potential risks are significant, and the consequences could be catastrophic.

The United States Navy is the largest in the world and a crucial part of national defense. Ports serve as home bases for the Navy fleet and support personnel, providing logistical support for global deployments. Public use of ports, including parks, restaurants, hotels, and water recreation, complicates security. Additionally, commercial activities like cruise lines, fishing, and offshore operations add to the ports’ diverse functions.

Dave Foster, Homeland Security Manager
San Diego Unified Port District
Port of San Diego Harbor Police

The intricate web of interconnectivity in global maritime activities heightens ports’ exposure to international threats while introducing localized security risks. These dual vulnerabilities necessitate dynamic security measures to safeguard against foreseeable and emergent threats. Immediate and effective action is essential to prevent potential security breaches and ensure the safety of global port and maritime operations.

For ports, establishing a heightened and connected Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) is not just important; it’s critical. This is because the port community faces a variety of shared threats, including these:     

ArcGIS for Port Security and Maritime Domain Awareness

Implementing an effective GIS platform is crucial in improving port security and Maritime Domain Awareness. The Maritime Transportation System faces increasingly complex threats, and ArcGIS provides an essential framework of tools designed to mitigate these challenges. It enhances port security and stabilizes maritime networks by integrating, operationalizing, and unifying people, processes, and data into a cohesive strategy.

ArcGIS enhances information collection, analysis, dissemination, and sharing. It strengthens security protocols and boosts port operational efficiency through the following features and functionalities:

Data Acquisition and Management

The global GIS data ecosystem is vast and continually expanding, with new users and information sources added daily. Data acquisition for port security involves gathering information from diverse sources to ensure comprehensive monitoring and effective risk management. Integrating data from business, crime, and intelligence records, whether they are public or private, is essential for developing a robust security framework. Geographic information systems play a pivotal role in data management, offering powerful tools for collecting, storing, organizing, and retrieving spatial data.

Port Surveillance and Monitoring  

Integrating AIS to monitor maritime traffic in Baltimore Harbor during the Key Bridge incident.

ArcGIS can integrate data from radar, cameras, Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), automatic vehicle locating (AVL) technology, and other sensors to provide real-time tracking for enhanced situational awareness. This helps monitor water- and land-based movements within and around the port area, detect unauthorized or suspicious activities, and respond quickly to potential threats.

Below are additional examples of tradecraft and related techniques that establish a repeatable pattern to support surveillance and monitoring activities:

Real-Time Threat Management

Detect and triage real-time threats that may impact port operations.

Integrating GIS with real-time threat feeds and alerting capabilities can significantly enhance situational awareness and event management at ports. This includes preventing or reducing the impact of critical incidents, decreasing response times, and supporting informed decision-making. By aggregating data from social media, news outlets, E911 systems, weather feeds, intelligence information, and cyber sensors, port organizations can conduct advanced spatial analysis and data fusion and visualize complex threat environments more clearly.

Esri’s real-time data engines facilitate incorporating streaming information feeds into operational workflows. These tools enable continuous incident detection, real-time analytics, user-defined filtering, alerting, and response protocols ensuring timely and informed responses to dynamic situations.  

Below are examples of several common workflows:

Historical Data Analysis and Trend Analysis

Integrate maps, charts, graphs, and tables to uncover and understand hidden patterns in your data.

By collecting and analyzing spatially enabled historical data from sources including imagery, AIS, and crime and intelligence data, ArcGIS can help identify patterns and trends in vessel behavior as well as other reported suspicious activity such as onshore criminal incidents. This insight is valuable for anticipating potential security threats and planning preventive measures. For example, if a particular area has an identified pattern of illicit activities, more rigorous surveillance and patrolling can be scheduled. Similarly, dashboards can be configured to show key metrics, such as the location of active vessels, incident status, and responses to alerts, all updated in real-time.

Below are some common forms of data analysis:

Threat and Vulnerability Assessments

Assess risks and quantify their impact on critical infrastructure within and around the port.

By analyzing historical data and real-time inputs, ArcGIS can help identify potential risk factors related to criminal activity, suspicious behavior, weather, traffic density, navigational hazards, and more. This information is crucial for decision-making around security planning, allowing port authorities to mitigate risks proactively. 

Methods by which ArcGIS can improve a port’s risk management capabilities include:

Critical Event Management

Develop and share emergency response plans to effectively manage critical incidents.

Critical event management (CEM) is a strategy for addressing scenarios that significantly impact organizations, communities, or the environment. These scenarios range from large-scale planned events to unexpected crises like human-made incidents, natural disasters, or public health emergencies. ArcGIS is crucial in improving CEM, particularly in port security, where protecting vital infrastructure, supply chains, and assets is essential.

With port security, ArcGIS software-based CEM is instrumental in several ways:

Field Operations

Establish command and control through a single user interface that integrates peer-to-peer communication and security officer tracking.

Securing ports and the maritime transportation system involves a broad team, including environmental, maritime operations, tenant management, and public use departments. These subject matter experts, while not security personnel, play a crucial role in developing and using ArcGIS tools for port security. Their collaboration is essential for effective design, analysis, and response.

Dave Foster, Port of San Diego Harbor Police

ArcGIS mobile tools can be pivotal in tracking multi-discipline field teams within a port environment. Mobile GIS apps enable precise monitoring of the location and movements of security and other port personnel, ensuring optimal situational awareness and coordination. This capability is crucial in dynamic port environments, where rapid response to security threats is essential. GIS allows for the visualization of team positions on detailed maps that depict port features, facilitating strategic deployment and efficient management of resources. This ensures proper command and control as well as the ability to swiftly address incidents, safeguard critical infrastructure, and maintain the overall security of the port.

Interagency Collaboration, Interoperability, and Information Sharing

Ensure cross-agency collaboration by integrating with platforms such as Microsoft Teams.

Proper governance and mindful development of stakeholder IT infrastructure are essential for effective information sharing. While technically possible and even easy, sharing information between local, federal, DoD, LE, and non-LE entities is not feasible without appropriate MOUs, policies, and IT design to facilitate this sharing.

Dave Foster, Port of San Diego Harbor Police

ArcGIS facilitates better coordination and information sharing among various stakeholders involved in port security, including local law enforcement, the Coast Guard, and other maritime agencies. Sharing a common operating picture enhances situational awareness and streamlines emergency response.    

Whether your AOR is one port or a global network of ports, ArcGIS can transform your port security framework. Below are some examples of how:

Training and Exercises

ArcGIS can significantly enhance training and tabletop exercises using simulated scenarios that might commonly affect ports and port security.  By integrating spatial data, GIS provides a dynamic and interactive platform for visualizing and analyzing geographic information relevant to the training scenario. This enables participants to better understand the spatial context of incidents, identify critical infrastructure, and assess potential impacts on the population and environment. GIS tools can simulate real-time data, allowing for testing various response strategies and their outcomes. Additionally, GIS can facilitate communication and collaboration among participants by providing a common visual reference, leading to more effective decision-making and improved preparedness.  Here’s how GIS can enhance these exercises:

Contributing Author

Dave Foster is the Homeland Security Program Manager for the Port of San Diego. He manages the Port’s emergency management, physical security, intelligence analysis, and Port Security Grant (PSGP) funded programs, as well as coordinates security efforts with the Port of San Diego information security (INFOSEC) and maritime operations. Dave is active within the Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC), serving on the Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) subcommittee, as well as coordinating with the USCG Sector San Diego on homeland security-related issues. Dave also serves on the MDA subcommittee for the California Maritime Security Council (CMSC), the State of California’s equivalent of the AMSC, and served on the CMSC subcommittee updating the California State Maritime Security Strategy.  

About the author

Carl Walter

Carl Walter is the Global Director of Homeland Security Solutions at Esri. He joined Esri in 2010, bringing over twenty years of government experience in law enforcement and intelligence operations. Before joining Esri, Mr. Walter served as the Director of the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC), a DHS-designated intelligence fusion center, and the Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Analysis for the Boston Police Department. Following 9/11, he established a coordinated regional intelligence capability in the Boston metropolitan area, operationalizing local, state, and federal law enforcement and private sector resources for critical event management, including preventing and responding to terrorist threats, man-made hazards, and violent criminal activity. In his current role at Esri, Mr. Walter develops strategies that integrate technology, operations, and analytical tradecraft to support the security needs of national security agencies and Fortune 500 organizations worldwide. He holds an M.S. in Criminal Justice Management from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a B.S. in Criminal Justice from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

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