Integrated Surveillance Information System

The results of routine measurements at various stations are evaluated and can be fed into a computerized network in which all the data are collected. By suitable programs such as IMIS (integrated measuring and information system for the surveillance of environmental radioactivity) the data can be evaluated further to give, at any time, an up-to-date overview of the radioactivity in various regions of the country. 

Within the framework of routine radioactivity surveillance in Germany in accordance with the federal Integrated Measurement and Information System (IMIS) some measurement laboratories of the Laender reported unusual 1-131 and Cs-134 contaminations of environmental samples taken during this period. The detailed measurement values were reported in the IMIS databank. Table 1 summarizes these values. With the exception of a 1-131 specific activity value of 5.9 Bq kg fresh weight in one sample of pasture taken in North Rhine-Westphalia on 05.04.2011, the Laender values reported in IMIS are within the range determined by the Coordinating Office in Kiel. 

Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) were introduced for vessel traffic control and represent a ship-based broadcast system operating in the VHF maritime band. Apart from ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore AIS systems there are airborne AIS transponders that make dynamic vessel information available to airborne surveillance platforms. Examples of information provided by airborne AIS are time, position, heading, course, speed, IMO number, destination, type of cargo and estimated time of arrival. This information is of general interest in airborne maritime surveillance, including search and rescue operation and oil spill monitoring. Especially the GIS integration of AIS information as well as its online visualisation onboard the surveillance aircraft are considered beneficial for oil spill response since it allows the identification of potential polluters. 

One integral component of the new system is the aircraft-based equipment automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B). This system is far more accurate than ground-based radar, and it provides the pilot with terrain maps, traffic information and location, weather, and critical flight information. 

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