Integrating persistent surveillance systems into ISR architecture

Persistent Surveillance is an increasingly important concept in to-day's conflicts due to the asymmetric and complex nature of threats. With the proliferation of Persistent Surveillance Systems, NATO and its nations face a new challenge to integrate these systems into their overall Intelligence, Surveil-lance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) architecture. The same can be observed for the civil security domain. Persistent Surveillance Systems are widely used, but without integrating them into an overall Surveillance and Reconnaissance Ar-chitecture. This paper addresses the issue of integrating a Persistent Surveil-lance System into a standards-based architecture enabling efficient dissemina-tion, search and retrieval. In particular, specific features of Persistent Surveil-lance Systems and current ISR architectures, potentially causing poor and inef-ficient integration, are identified. Functional and technical requirements and op-erating procedures are discussed as potential solutions to prevent these adverse effects. An example system compliant with the NATO ISR Interoperability Ar-chitecture (NIIA) is considered to demonstrate applicability and effectiveness of proposed solutions in a perimeter surveillance scenario. The proposed solutions, including the (I)SR Architecture are applicable also in the civil security domain.