IFC-IOR

About:

• HQ: 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.
  
  
• Working:
  • 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.
    
    
  • At present, data will be shared by virtual means – telephone calls, Faxes, emails and video conferencing. The centre will in future host liaison officers from foreign countries for quicker analysis of information and timely inputs.
    
    
  
  
  
• Partner countries: The Information Fusion Centre will serve countries that have White Shipping Information Exchange agreements with India (about 21 of them).
  
  
• Significance: The IFC-IOR will strengthen maritime security in the region and beyond by building a common coherent maritime situation picture.