Patent ID: 8836570

Claim:
A system for extending maritime domain awareness of participating vessels, each of the vessels having a shipboard navigational radar, an Automatic Identification System (AIS) having an AIS transceiver, and a positioning device installed thereon, the system comprising a domain extension device installed on each of the vessels, the domain extension device comprising at least one processor operatively coupled to the radar, the AIS and the positioning device, the at least one processor being configured to: (a) receive own-ship radar track data from the navigational radar indicative of detectable targets located within a detection range of the radar; (b) receive own-ship location values from the positioning device indicative of a geographical location of the vessel when the radar track data is generated; (c) interface with the AIS transceiver to receive other-ship radar track data and associated other-ship location values from one or more other participating vessels within a communication range of other-ship AIS transceivers; (d) generate a common operating picture based upon the own-ship radar track data, own-ship location value, other-ship radar track data and other-ship location values, the common operating picture including information about targets located within the detection range of the radar of the vessel and radars of the one or more other vessels; and (e) interface with the AIS transceiver to transmit own-ship radar track data and own-ship location values to one or more other participating vessels within a communication range of the own-ship AIS transceiver.