SharpEye for Chesapeake Bay
Kelvin Hughes has supplied SharpEyeSolid State X Band surveillance technology to the Maryland Natural Resources Police to enhance their enforcement network in protected areas.
This network monitors illegal activity across 3,100 miles of Maryland coastland, including oyster sanctuary waters in Chesapeake Bay.The solid state radars are able to detect small, low-radar cross section targets such as boats used by poachers.
The SharpEyeradars are key sensors in the MNRP Maritime Law Enforcement Information Network (MLEIN), whose mission is to secure the 3,100 miles of Maryland coastline. The system was launched in the autumn of 2013, with the first detection of illegal activity taking place shortly after. The two X Band radars provide high resolution radar pictures 24 hours a day in all weather conditions, and these images are transmitted to officers in the field in real time. The information is shared with other government and law enforcement agencies, to assist in detecting illegal activities or help with search and rescue operations on the water.
The solid state radars are ideal for the MNRP’s application as they enable the detection of small, low radar cross section targets, such as the boats typically used by oyster poachers. One such incident occurred in Tangier Sound, with two poachers apprehended by an officer watching his laptop as the cameras and radar units of the MLEIN tracked the watermen.”
Other benefits that led to the MNRP’s selection of SharpEyeinclude enhanced detection of small targets in heavy rain and high sea states; and the advanced detection in poor conditions allowed by the patented pulse sequence and Doppler processing.
Source and Image Credit:Kelvin Hughes
