Port safety and maritime surveillance for the maritime sector using trust-scored multi-sensor data fusion
Trust-scored maritime surveillance — space data and drones keeping ports safe.
The Challenge
Port authorities, coast guards and naval operators face critical gaps in maritime situational awareness: vessel-reported data (AIS) can be spoofed or switched off, radar and satellite feeds arrive from sources of varying reliability, and manual cross-checking cannot keep pace with traffic volumes. The consequence is uncertainty about which vessels around a port genuinely pose a risk — and costly, indiscriminate surveillance to compensate.
The Solution
Neptune applies NQM’s trust-scored data-fusion technology to this problem. The system fuses AIS, radar and satellite data through a dynamic trust model that continuously evaluates the reliability of each source; when a vessel’s assessed risk exceeds a threshold, the system can autonomously task drone reconnaissance to reduce uncertainty. This aligns with the ESA “Enhancing Port Safety and Efficiency through Space” call, which funds space-enabled services improving safety, security and efficiency of port operations. (INPUT-NEEDED: verify this scope description against the signed ESA contract/proposal before treating as definitive.)
Outcomes
The intended outputs are a demonstrator of smarter, more cost-effective surveillance for port authorities and follow-on commercial space-applications services. The project is active (May 2026 – January 2027); outcomes will be captured as it progresses.
Features
Fused maritime picture from AIS, radar and satellite (space-based) data sources.
Dynamic trust model scoring the reliability of every data source, continuously.
Autonomous tasking of drone reconnaissance when vessel risk exceeds threshold.
Sensors are tasked only where trust-scored fusion says the picture is weak, cutting surveillance cost.
Benefits
Smarter, more cost-effective port surveillance for port authorities, coast guards and naval operators (projected — project active).
Improved detection of vessels misreporting identity or behaviour (e.g. spoofed/dark AIS) (projected).
Volt features used
Working with
Related Sectors
Maritime
The maritime sector includes shipping, ports, naval operations and offshore industry. Connected sensing and secure data sharing are improving safety, efficiency and situational awareness at sea.
Space
The space sector spans satellite systems, earth observation and space-enabled services. Trusted data infrastructure is essential for operating assets in orbit and exploiting the data they produce.