National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) Project:
The Indian Navy recently signed a contract with M/s Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru for the implementation of National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) Project.
- National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) Project is aimed at strengthening maritime and coastal security.
- The project will bring in an integrated approach to data collation, analysis, and information sharing amongst the various maritime stakeholders.
- The project entails upgradation of the existing National Command, Control, Communication, and Intelligence (NC3I) Network to the NMDA Network along with the incorporation of AI-enabled software for smarter surveillance and decision-making.
- As part of the project, the existing Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) at Gurugram, which is the nodal centre of the NC3I Network, will also be upgraded into a Multi-Agency NMDA Centre.
- This upgraded centre will host personnel from 15 agencies spanning seven key ministries — including Defence, Shipping, Petroleum, Fisheries, and others — to ensure seamless coordination and information sharing.
- The NMDA project will link various maritime agencies, coastal states, and union territories for a unified operational picture of India’s vast coastline and surrounding seas.
- It will also integrate data from sectors such as commercial shipping and fisheries, improving response capabilities to maritime threats, search-and-rescue missions, and environmental incidents.
- The project, set to be executed on a turnkey basis, will be administered by the Indian Navy.
- Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) will serve as the lead integrator, providing state-of-the-art hardware and AI-enabled software solutions.
