Introduction
Omni-Directional Reconnaissance (ODR) systems consist of panoramic video cameras capable of producing high-resolution 360° images. The ODR system provides the operator with real-time omni-directional images of the vehicle’s surroundings, allowing the operator to obtain a comprehensive situational awareness or steering capabilities while remaining protected. The system can be easily integrated onto most vehicles and can interface with existing monitors and computers or be run as a standalone system. These systems can be mounted on a variety of vehicles including armored, anti-riot, security, reconnaissance, patrolling, and police. In this article, we talk about the ODR system and its advantages, when integrated with the Mobile C4ISR solution from Mistral.
Mobile C4ISR Platforms from Mistral
The Mobile C4ISR solution consists of a customized vehicle equipped with either or all of the following: IP video surveillance equipment, video management and analytics, command & control modules and monitoring stations. It is available in many variants:
Mobile Surveillance Vehicle (MSV)
The MSV is equipped with IP video surveillance equipment for non-permanent, on-site monitoring of events. The MSV consists of wired/wireless fixed and PTZ cameras, network video recorders, and computer systems to capture, monitor and record surveillance feed. The vehicle is ideal for deployment for requirements such as VIP security and monitoring of public events like sports, political rallies, entertainment shows etc. This platform can be also installed on a SUV, if required.
Mobile Command, Control and Communication System (MC3S)
The MC3S is equipped with IP surveillance equipment (video and other sensors) and one or several of the command & control modules. These help surveillance personnel to quickly deploy surveillance equipment, map them on a cartographic data and assign responsibility to response teams based on events captured by the system. This is an ideal solution for deployment for law and order control, critical infrastructure protection and low-scale emergency/disaster management situations.
Mobile War Room (MWR)
The MWR is a fully-featured C4ISR platform, and provides an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) capability on a mobile platform. It consists of IP surveillance equipment (video and other sensors), video management, analytics and the complete command & control sub-system. It provides a live-in facility for operating personnel and has the option of being designed to be made explosion-proof. It performs the function of a fixed EOC and is typically configured as the fall-back facility in a disaster-recovery plan. This is ideal for deployment for high-intensity law and order situations, terrorist attacks and high-scale emergency/disaster management situations.
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Omni-Directional Reconnaissance System integrated with the Mobile C4ISR platform
The ODR system is mounted on a central pole and fixed on top of the Mobile C4ISR vehicle. It consists of a distributed array of cameras to capture a full 360o panoramic view and a single high-resolution camera with the capability to pan, tilt & zoom (PTZ), enabling thorough investigation of suspected threats. The modules are connected (wired or wirelessly) to the Control Unit in the vehicle running the ODR software application. While active, the Observation Module simultaneously captures a 360° horizontal and 60° vertical field of view.
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| Figure 3: Omni-Directional Reconnaissance System – Components |
The system’s image analysis software synthesizes the video images from all the cameras into one comprehensible panoramic view, and the display has a traditional clock view (marked 1 to 12) in order to keep the operator oriented.
The real-time image from the ODR system is displayed on the Control Unit screen. The display is divided into two separate windows: the Panoramic View window, in which a complete panoramic scene is displayed; and the Area of Interest (AOI) or Video Motion Detection (VMD) window displaying a narrower field of view for close-up monitoring.
The image which is displayed in the AOI window may be obtained from any one of the array of cameras in the ODR and/or from the single high-resolution Pan, Tilt & Zoom (PTZ) Camera.
The ODR system can be integrated with other software modules available in the Mobile C4ISR platform like wireless and thermal cameras, other covert sensors, GPS, microphones etc; providing the user a comprehensive situation data for easy decision-making. The ODRs also offers an option to connect a microphone, GPS and operator tagging. Microphone enables recording audio of the scene or operator’s speech to accompany the video recording. Recorded GPS data associate the video and audio recording to a geographic location. Tagging allows the operator to fix a point. All the audio, GPS and tagging are captured and synchronized with the video, so that when the video is streamed to a remote location for additional decision making; the personnel at the remote location can view the video, listen to recorded audio remarks, see the recording location and make intelligent decisions.
Some of the key highlights of the ODR system are:
- Provides continuous coverage of an omni-directional field of view without camera rotation (no blind spots)
- Provides real-time situational awareness of the incident site and vehicle’s surroundings to personnel inside the vehicle
- Provides driving and orientation support
- Enables multiple users to watch the vehicle’s surroundings simultaneously, each with a specific region of interest
- Enables motion detection and real time alerts
Case Study
Below is a quick case study that illustrates the use of an ODR system integrated with an armored MWR platform, for use in a tactical operation.
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| Figure 4: Schematic showing deployment of a Mobile C4ISR Platform with ODR system for a tactical operation |
The Mobile C4ISR platforms are quickly deployed at the incident location and the IP and thermal cameras are fixed at various locations to monitor the site and its surroundings
- Data Streaming: Output from IP and thermal cameras fixed at the location are sent over wireless to the NVR (Network Video Recorder) located in the MWR
- Head-mounted Devices: Commandos with head-mounted cameras, audio capture and other covert devices penetrate the interior of the building. Data captured from these devices are streamed wirelessly to the MWR and monitored
- Omni-Directional Reconnaissance: ODR System mounted on top of the armored MWR provides a 360o panoramic scan of the incident site with zoom in option on Area of Interest (AOI) or based on Video Motion Detection (VMD). Being an armored vehicle, the MWR can be positioned at the center of the incident site, for close-up monitoring and ensures reduced level of exposure for the personnel inside the vehicle to external attacks
- Communication Matrix: The communication matrix inside the MWR patches different communication channels like VHF, UHF, GSM, Tetra, VoIP etc.
- On-site Command and Control: Sensor feeds can be viewed in real-time via browser in the MWR. The Communication Matrix enables cross-protocol communication, enabling holistic communication between different data sources, including citizens
- Remote Command and Control: Data captured by sensors are stored in the NVR and transmitted via satellite /radio backhaul to remote station enable quick decision-making at senior levels.
Conclusion
The benefits of using Mistral’s Mobile C4ISR platform integrated with the ODR system for tactical operations are manifold. Not only does it provides continuous coverage of an Omni-directional field of view without camera rotation, thereby ensuring that any possible blind spots are avoided; it also provides real-time situational awareness of the vehicle’s surroundings to personnel inside the vehicle, in addition to driving and orientation support. Mistral offers expertise in integrating the Mobile C4ISR solutions on various platforms. It sells a range of Mobile C4ISR platforms, built on vehicles such as vans, LCVs, and containers that can be deployed for various operations.
