Overview
Although Ogier Electronics’ Scan-360 radar is designed primarily for land-based security, recent trials have demonstrated its potential for marine detection. To evaluate how the radar performs over water, a live test was conducted along a busy stretch of the River Thames in central London, tracking vessel movements near HQS Wellington.
Location: HQS Wellington, River Thames, London
Ogier Electronics equipment: Scan-360 Radar
The challenge
Unlike static terrain, open water presents complex variables such as surface ripple, wake from passing boats, and reflective clutter, all of which can interfere with detection accuracy. Scan-360 was originally engineered to identify human and vehicle movement on land, not boats on a dynamic water surface.
Key concerns included:
- Would mounting height and platform stability affect performance?
- Would the radar interpret water movement as false positives?
- Could it distinguish small boats from surrounding clutter?
Even in a marine environment, the Scan-360 demonstrated reliable detection and tracking, proving its flexibility beyond traditional land applications.
Technical Lead, Ogier Electronics
The solution
To test its capabilities, Ogier Electronics installed the Scan-360 radar on the HQS Wellington, a historic naval vessel moored near Embankment. Positioned with a 180° field of view across a 400m-wide stretch of river, the radar was mounted on the lower mooring deck to minimise reflection interference, while the paired PTZ camera was located on the main deck.
Notably, the default detection algorithms, designed to reduce false alarms caused by moving foliage, were left unchanged. These proved effective in filtering out small surface ripple on the river. The radar tracked vessel movements with impressive accuracy, logging each position on a live digital map in real time. Results showed:
- Clear detection of small and mid-sized boats
- Minimal false alarms despite waves and boat wake
- Effective tracking without any software reconfiguration
- Ability to fine-tune detection zones over water vs. land for optimal sensitivity
