The PROTECDOME project aims to develop a Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (CUAS) system that go beyond existing commercial products, including detection, tracking and identification that will be integrated with situational awareness tools for improving real-time monitoring, and will enable protection solutions against rogue drones in public space.
As the number of unauthorized operations of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) is rising, the protection of publicly accessible critical infrastructures (e.g., airports and ports as well as other government buildings) public spaces (e.g., shopping malls), and tourist areas (e.g., parks and beaches), against malicious actions and terrorist attacks has become a global major concern across the world. Currently, security measures in these so-called “soft targets” consist primarily of surveillance cameras and security personnel that safeguard these areas from threats.
The PROTECDOME system aims to establish an autonomous situational awareness counter-drone system that employs algorithms for detecting, tracking and identification of rogue drones. Specifically, the main objectives of the PROTECDOME project are: 1) the development of threat-scenarios for rogue drone operations in public spaces as well as development of a risk and vulnerability assessment toolkit that will assist operators and law enforcement agencies for the prevention of this emerging threat; 2) the development of novel detection, tracking and alerting technologies and integration with situational awareness tools for improving real-time monitoring; (3) the validation and demonstration of the impact of the proposed solution in operational scenarios; and (4) the development of training material for capacity building on rogue drone threat scenarios. In this manner, PROTECDOME will strengthen the operational capacity and situational awareness against rogue drones, and allow for the introduction of novel technologies, testing and validating of these tools to facilitate public space protection.
The PROTECDOME project consortium consists of the Cyprus Police as the coordinator, the KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence at the University of Cyprus, the Centre for Research & Technology Hellas (CERTH) and the Hellenic Police as partners.
The project is implemented under the Internal Security Fund and is co-financed by the European Union and the Republic of Cyprus.
