Periodic Reporting for period 1 - iFLOWS (Advanced technologies for scanning and detection of illicit material for postal services and express courier flows (iFlows Toolkit))
Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2024-04-30
Preventing and fighting illicit material and dangerous substances in postal/courier services flows in EU areas by ensuring efficiency, speed and continuity in screening and detection tasks. Currently, custom, police and courier authorities involve a range of screening systems in place but there is still much to do in terms of detection efficacy and creation of intelligence towards risk and threat identification. On top of that, criminals or smugglers exploit the multitude of flows and easily spot security gaps that allow parcels/letters to be transported within or across EU with relative ease.
iFLOWS proposes a unique approach to assist customs, police and postal/courier services in preventing and detecting such crimes and will design, develop, integrate, test and validate a novel multi-tier synergistic Toolkit in enhancing intelligence extraction, screening and detection operations of illicit material and hazardous substances within courier and postal flows moving across and within EU borders.
iFLOWS delivers a tailored to such operations C4I that boosts preparedness and cooperation between police, customs and courier/postal services, enhanced Intelligence in terms of threats, risks and suspicious flows, novel detection technologies (i.e. THz Scanning system and UWB Scanner) featuring enhanced detection capabilities over a large span of illicit material and substances, coupled with advanced image-based feature extraction in combination to legacy systems optimise the detection process without interrupting the postal/courier flows for:
Improved detection of threats and dangerous and illicit goods by practitioners and operators within post and parcel flows, without disruption to the flow
Improved capacity of practitioners and operators to deny the misuse of the postal and parcel service by criminal or terrorist group to move items;
Improved risk assessment, preparedness and reaction capacities in the postal and parcel service;
and
Improved security of EU land and air borders, as well as sea borders and maritime environment, infrastructures & activities, against accidents, natural disasters & security challenges such as illegal trafficking, piracy and potential terrorist attacks, cyber & hybrid threats;
Improved border crossing experience for travellers and border authorities staff, while maintaining security and monitoring of movements across air, land and sea EU external borders, supporting the Schengen space, reducing illegal movements of people and goods across those borders and protecting fundamental rights of travellers;
Improved customs and supply chain security though better prevention, detection, deterrence and fight of illegal activities involving flows of goods across EU external border crossing points and through the supply chain, minimising disruption to trade flows
iFLOWS proposes a unique approach to assist customs, police and postal/courier services in preventing and detecting such crimes and will design, develop, integrate, test and validate a novel multi-tier synergistic Toolkit in enhancing intelligence extraction, screening and detection operations of illicit material and hazardous substances within courier and postal flows moving across and within EU borders.
iFLOWS delivers a tailored to such operations C4I that boosts preparedness and cooperation between police, customs and courier/postal services, enhanced Intelligence in terms of threats, risks and suspicious flows, novel detection technologies (i.e. THz Scanning system and UWB Scanner) featuring enhanced detection capabilities over a large span of illicit material and substances, coupled with advanced image-based feature extraction in combination to legacy systems optimise the detection process without interrupting the postal/courier flows for:
Improved detection of threats and dangerous and illicit goods by practitioners and operators within post and parcel flows, without disruption to the flow
Improved capacity of practitioners and operators to deny the misuse of the postal and parcel service by criminal or terrorist group to move items;
Improved risk assessment, preparedness and reaction capacities in the postal and parcel service;
and
Improved security of EU land and air borders, as well as sea borders and maritime environment, infrastructures & activities, against accidents, natural disasters & security challenges such as illegal trafficking, piracy and potential terrorist attacks, cyber & hybrid threats;
Improved border crossing experience for travellers and border authorities staff, while maintaining security and monitoring of movements across air, land and sea EU external borders, supporting the Schengen space, reducing illegal movements of people and goods across those borders and protecting fundamental rights of travellers;
Improved customs and supply chain security though better prevention, detection, deterrence and fight of illegal activities involving flows of goods across EU external border crossing points and through the supply chain, minimising disruption to trade flows
The first 3 Demonstration- and the first LABX workshop were successfully conducted.
The fomulation of Use Cases and Scenarios of current working procedures, relevant to the toolkit were requested and reformulated to better define system-critical information.
The User requirements were extracted for each iFLOWS tool based on the MoSCoW scale, relevant KPIs highlighted for the validation protocol.
The general architecture of toolkit by technical partners and modules wew described for the micro-architecture together with a list of inputs/outputs.
The record of substances by Thz scanningfor first hyperspectral imaging (HSI) data sets started.
A high accuracy THz scanning system including detectors on basis of a multi-purpose scanning platforms was developed.
From side of the accociated partners a planarized broadband THz quantum cascade laser was designed and developed.
Also, two types of THz detectors were investigated and first versions realized by RISE.
A first prototype on UWB scanning technology for non-intrusive detection and data set of samples was created.
The design and analysis of technological interactions with the web of data for both surface and dark web started.
An exploration of leveraging historical data, initial analysis and extraction processes for weak signals was done.
The development of C4I/COP specifications and functionalities for the creation of a tool for improved risk assessment and real time incident management started.
The project website and creation of the integrated communication toolbox, the initiation of stakeholder engagement through social media and collaboration with other projects and the exploitation and business strategy activities and analyzing iFLOWS' market impact and competition started.
The fomulation of Use Cases and Scenarios of current working procedures, relevant to the toolkit were requested and reformulated to better define system-critical information.
The User requirements were extracted for each iFLOWS tool based on the MoSCoW scale, relevant KPIs highlighted for the validation protocol.
The general architecture of toolkit by technical partners and modules wew described for the micro-architecture together with a list of inputs/outputs.
The record of substances by Thz scanningfor first hyperspectral imaging (HSI) data sets started.
A high accuracy THz scanning system including detectors on basis of a multi-purpose scanning platforms was developed.
From side of the accociated partners a planarized broadband THz quantum cascade laser was designed and developed.
Also, two types of THz detectors were investigated and first versions realized by RISE.
A first prototype on UWB scanning technology for non-intrusive detection and data set of samples was created.
The design and analysis of technological interactions with the web of data for both surface and dark web started.
An exploration of leveraging historical data, initial analysis and extraction processes for weak signals was done.
The development of C4I/COP specifications and functionalities for the creation of a tool for improved risk assessment and real time incident management started.
The project website and creation of the integrated communication toolbox, the initiation of stakeholder engagement through social media and collaboration with other projects and the exploitation and business strategy activities and analyzing iFLOWS' market impact and competition started.
Currently, the iFLOWS project has not yet achieved significant advancements beyond the current state of the art. These are expected to occur in the next reporting period.
The new scanning systems and AI algorithms will significantly improve the detection of illicit materials, reducing the flow of dangerous goods through postal and courier services.
The integration of dark web and social media alerting tools with risk assessment systems will provide a comprehensive intelligence framework, enhancing collaboration between customs, police, and courier services.
Continued research is needed to refine AI algorithms and enhance the integration of various detection systems. Further demonstration and validation in real-world settings will be crucial to ensure reliability and effectiveness.
Developing a robust business strategy for the commercialization of iFLOWS technologies will be essential. Engaging with potential customers and stakeholders early on will help in refining the products and identifying market opportunities.
Ensuring compliance with international regulations and standards is vital for the adoption of iFLOWS solutions. Collaboration with regulatory bodies and standardization organizations will facilitate this process.
The new scanning systems and AI algorithms will significantly improve the detection of illicit materials, reducing the flow of dangerous goods through postal and courier services.
The integration of dark web and social media alerting tools with risk assessment systems will provide a comprehensive intelligence framework, enhancing collaboration between customs, police, and courier services.
Continued research is needed to refine AI algorithms and enhance the integration of various detection systems. Further demonstration and validation in real-world settings will be crucial to ensure reliability and effectiveness.
Developing a robust business strategy for the commercialization of iFLOWS technologies will be essential. Engaging with potential customers and stakeholders early on will help in refining the products and identifying market opportunities.
Ensuring compliance with international regulations and standards is vital for the adoption of iFLOWS solutions. Collaboration with regulatory bodies and standardization organizations will facilitate this process.