Indra’s technology will contribute to control illegal traffic, which takes advantage of the area’s complex geography
Indra is a leading company in border security with projects in Portugal, Lithuania, Romania and Hong Kong among other countries.
The Ministry of Interior awarded Indra, the premier IT company in Spain and a leading IT multinational in Europe, the permanent deployment of the External Surveillance Integrated System (SIVE) to be operated by the Directorate-General of the Police and Civil Guard in the province of Pontevedra for EUR 7.4 million.
Indra’s technology will allow to control illegal traffic in an area with a complex physical geography-islands and islets, Arousa river or Cape Udra, which makes surveillance markedly difficult in the area.
The avant-garde and integral system to be implemented in Pontevedra by Indra will include six sensor stations for thorough surveillance. The stations will be equipped with radar systems and optronic sensors (infrared and visible), an optronic sensor station and a command and control centre located at the Guardia Civil Headquarters in this province. In this centre all the information collected at the stations will be centralized, processed and controlled remotely thus, the response of the authorities will be coordinated in the event of illegal activities or emergencies.
SIVE will allow an earlier detection of small boats and semi-rigid inflatable boats involved in illegal trafficking reducing response time by the authorities. It will also facilitate support and coordination of interception and maritime rescue and will improve its efficiency. This way, the system will enhance control and prevent illegal activities in the area.
One of the most remarkable features of the system is the interconnection of its information systems with other communication networks of the Guardia Civil.
The company has already implemented its coast surveillance system in Almeria, Huelva, Gran Canaria, Murcia and Ibiza within the framework of a programme for border surveillance specifically aiming at controlling illegal immigration and drug traffic. Indra’s systems cover more than 1,400 km of the Spanish coast.
Leadership in border security
Indra is a leading company in the development and startup of coast surveillance systems in Europe. This year the company was awarded a project to implement the surveillance system on Portugal’s coast and its technology is employed to control 500 of Latvia’s coast and 250 km of Mar Negro’s in Romania.
Outside Europe, it has worked on an ambitious project to provide coverage of Hong Kong’s entire coast and waters. The Hong Kong administrative region is made up of a mainland area and more than 200 islands. This system, recently started up, is integrated with a maritime traffic control system of one of the largest ports in the world by cargo, ship and passenger traffic.
Border surveillance offers a great grow potential in the international market for Indra since SIVE’s effectiveness has already been proved. In addition there is a growing demand of this type of systems due to the increasing concern of governments to control their borders.
Spain, due to its geographical location, is years ahead in the implementation of these technologies, which makes Indra’s solution one of the most advanced in the world.
