Information Fusion Centre For Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR):
The Netherlands is interested in posting a Liaison Officer (LO) at the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) for Maritime Domain Awareness and information sharing, Vice Admiral René Tas, Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy, says.
- The IFC has been established at the Navy’s Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) in Gurugram, which is the single point centre linking all the coastal radar chains to generate a seamless real-time picture of the nearly 7,500-km coastline.
- Mandate: Strengthening maritime security in the region and beyond, by acting as a maritime information hub for the region.
- Partner countries: The Information Fusion Centre will serve countries that have White Shipping Information Exchange agreements with India.
- Through this Centre, information on “white shipping”, or commercial shipping, will be exchanged with countries in the region to improve maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean.
- It will also impart training in maritime information collection and sharing.
- Data is shared by virtual means – telephone calls, Faxes, emails and video conferencing. The centre also hosts liaison officers from foreign countries for quicker analysis of information and timely inputs.
