Autonomous remote power module. Photo courtesy of Mr. Hank
Statscewich at University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
involvetheuseofproductsderivedfromcoastalradar
systemsandlocalexpertknowledge,integratedwith
informationprovidedbysatelliteimageryandon-ice
sensorsystems.
Autonomous Stations
Thecenterisalsodevelopingradarsystemsforremote
areas and extreme environments to monitor ice movementandshippingalongtheNorthwestPassageby
establishingstationsthatcanrunautonomouslyto
reportdata.Designedtorunasastand-aloneplatform,thesystemwilloperateprimarilyonwindand
solarpowerandsecondarilyonaliquidfuelgenerator
to provide coastal radar data.
Itssizeandindependenceallowittobedeployedin
areaswherepowerandcommunicationsystemsdo
notexist.GiventhelackofinfrastructureandcommunicationacrosslargecoastalareasofAlaska,this
effort is critical to providing information to the Coast
Guardandotherstakeholders.
Ongoing Efforts
Finally,MIREESismovingforwardtoconductcollaborativeprojectsthatmergethreeseparatetechnologies:
• anautonomouspowersupply;
• automaticidentifcationsystemdigitaldistress
callingradioreceivertechnology;
• algorithms that permit high-frequency shorebasedradars,whicharecommonlyusedtomeasuresurfacecurrents.
Byassessingtheperformanceofthesetechnologies
inaggregate,MIREEShopestogivetheCoastGuard
theabilitytotrackanddetectvesselsoperatinginU.S.
Arcticwaters.
www.uscg.mil/proceedings
USCG Arctic Challenges
During congressional testimony in 2011, Admiral Robert Papp,
Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, addressed some challenges the
Coast Guard faces for operating in the Arctic region.
He said, "Operations in the Arctic's extreme cold, darkness, and iceinfested waters require specialized equipment, infrastructure, and
training. Our current Arctic capabilities are very limited. We have only
one operational icebreaker. We do not have any coastal or shore-side
infrastructure. Nor do we have a seasonal base to hangar our aircraft
or sustain our crews." 1
Endnote:
1. Defending U.S. Economic Interests in the Changing Arctic: Is There a Strategy? Verbal
testimony before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, &
Transportation Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
Hearing, July, 2011.
About the authors:
Mr. Theophilos Gemelas is a program manager at the Department of
Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate. He oversees four cooperative agreements with university recipients that represent two DHS Centers of Excellence: the National Center for Border Security and Immigration, and the Center for Maritime, Island,
and Remote and Extreme Environment Security.
Ms. Tara Duggan is an associate at Booz Allen Hamilton. She has
seven years of experience in the management consulting industry, and her project work has covered project management, process
improvement, and knowledge management.
For more information:
See www.dhs.gov/fles/programs/
editorial_0498.shtm
and www.cimes.hawaii.edu/.
Summer 2013
Proceedings
85