Security enhancement through heterogeneous data fusion and improved AI/ML-powered Copernicus maritime and border surveillance services

The Copernicus Security Service (CSS) is instrumental to support the European Union’s security, safety, law enforcement, and international commitments with the European Commission advocating for its advancement.

The AI4COPSEC project aims to demonstrate the potential of advanced ML and GeoAI models to provide relevant intelligence for enhancing existing Copernicus products and services such as oil spill response, illegal fishing alert and create new services intended to support Search-and–Rescue operations and irregular migration detection.

The project will enhance CSS services through the usage of self-supervised deep learning models, geomatics and social media data (OSINT) extracted from heterogenous multi-sources data.

AI4COPSEC is expected to have a transformative effect on the operational capabilities of EU security,surveillance and safety by leveraging advances to enhance the timeliness, accuracy, and relevance of information derived from EO and non-EO data sources, including the innovative use of thermal imagery for ship detection, the combination of satellite automatic identification system (AIS) data with structured data extracted from social media sources and the usage of in-situ environmental measurement derived from AIS data and IoT devices.

This integration will lead to more effective and efficient security operations, environmental monitoring, and disaster response.

AI4COPSEC is also set to detect anomalies and threat in the maritime traffic and advance ship detection capabilities, utilising high-resolution optical images and advanced segmentation algorithms to enhance the detection of small vessels independently of the type of material (metallic structures, wood, rubber...), a critical factor for a comprehensive maritime surveillance in line with the CSS and the EU's maritime security strategy (EUMSS).