An Integrated Monitoring System for Aerial Drones and Underwater ROVs

We present an integrated and intelligent cooperative platform for the detection, recognition and tracking of objects in the air, underwater and on the surface. The system is based on a data integration process driven by the coordinated use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) equipped with heterogeneous sensors (e.g., magnetometers, electro-optical sensors, cameras and microphones) sending the acquired data to a centralized Ground Control Station (GCS). When the area to be monitored is large, it is needed to partition it, assigning each part to different UAVs/UUVs. Thus, those UAVs and UUVs are the nodes of a communication network where data exchange is aimed at the communication of information relating to the detection/recognition/tracking of objects. This kind of messages is very important when, for example, the object being tracked moves out of the area of competence of a given UAV/UUV to enter another area surveyed by a different UAV/UUV. The system will be useful for ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Reconnaissance) applications including both the identification of static objects positioned on the seabed (e.g., unexploded bombs, underwater infrastructures, etc.) and the identification and tracking of objects moving underwater, on the surface or flying in the area of interest. A study on a secure and encrypted wireless connection between the fleet of drones and the GCS is also addressed and an effective method for changing data encryption keys during the mission is illustrated.