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Celldar:
Beyond ECHELON- Planetary Surveillance by 2005
Siemens, the high-tech German company with roots in Hitler's Nazi regime and user of slave labour in the 1940's, has responded to the recent desires of both DARPA and the United States Military, in developing the methodology to use worldwide microwave cellular networks to act as a form of passive radar, rendering a picture of all real-time objects, both inside and outside structures within range of each cellular base station, effectively creating a mass surveillance system. The subsidiary of Siemens doing this research is Roke Manor Research in Britain. The system is currently under development. Information acquired so far is listed below. Roke Manor 2001 Annual Review [large PDF file]
The logical progression of this stealth technology? It doesn't take much imagination to see where all this will ultimately go.
On the other hand, it would also be an interesting asset on the "war on terrorism", in terms of the way "The Game" is played out ... time will tell where this goes .... or even if they will have time to fully implement it. There are "wild cards" in the dynamic of reality, are there not? Much depends on whether you are coming from a balanced perspective as an observer, or a participant in polarity-based conflict. If you happen to be under the control of body programming, you will go into fear-survival mode, because you have bought into the lie that you are your body. Whichever you choose will determine a major aspect of what you experience. Choices ... choices ... conscious choices...
Mobile Phones Make Cheap Radar?
By Steve Bush -- Electronic News, 8/12/2002
Roke Manor Research, part of Siemens Corp., has demonstrated a passive radar that exploits signals from GSM mobile phone base stations. "Base station signals go further than you think—several kilometers. We could develop a ground-based sensor for aircraft or an aircraft-mounted sensor," said Program Manager Peter Lloyd. "Base stations cover almost all of the British coast, so Celldar could be used to detect boats or periscopes offshore."
Celldar, its name derived from "cell phone radar" is completely covert, and systems could be built for a fraction of the cost of conventional military radar, Lloyd said. Roke Manor's technology demonstrator uses two conventional Yagi aerials, two mobile phones as receivers and a PC with 200KHz A to D converters to digitize signals from the phones. The parts cost $3,076 (2,000 British pounds), according to Lloyd, and this simple set-up can detect vehicles through foliage at a range of several hundred meters as well as people moving in a parking lot. To locate an object on the ground, two base stations would be needed, or three to locate a flying object. "The more the merrier," Lloyd said. "There are plenty in Britain; it is likely to be 10 or more."
BAE Systems just signed up to fund the project with cash and additional know-how. Eventually Celldar will use phased array antennas, a technology that Roke Manor specializes in. Each of the hundred-or-so antenna elements will have a separate receiver and ADC, all feeding some form of processor. "A phased array radar for less than $150,000 (100,000 pounds)," Lloyd said. Cross-correlation of direct and reflected signals is the method being used to detect time differences in the development system. Roke Manor hopes to add mobile phone knowledge from parent company Siemens to extract more information, but Lloyd is reluctant to say exactly what. Range and accuracy are also not being discussed, although Lloyd did tell Electronics Weekly that Roke Manor has a height-measuring system that works at similar frequencies and is accurate to about 10 meters. The result of cooperation with BAE Systems should be a phased array multimode Celldar demonstrator within two years, Lloyd said.
The MoD is also putting in cash through its Radar Tower of Excellence program and Louisiana State University. A specialist in aviation is also involved, Lloyd said. Roke Manor and BAE Systems have previously collaborated on the development of Sampson phased array, multifunction radar, which has been selected for the Type 45 destroyers and HALO artillery location system now in service with the British Army.
How mobile phones let spies see our every move
Government's secret Celldar project will allow surveillance of anyone, at any time and anywhere there is a phone signal
Jason Burke and Peter Warren
Sunday October 13, 2002
The Observer
Secret radar technology research that will allow the biggest-ever extension of 'Big Brother'-style surveillance in the UK is being funded by the Government.
The radical new system, which has outraged civil liberties groups, uses mobile phone masts to allow security authorities to watch vehicles and individuals 'in real time' almost anywhere in Britain. The technology 'sees' the shapes made when radio waves emitted by mobile phone masts meet an obstruction. Signals bounced back by immobile objects, such as walls or trees, are filtered out by the receiver. This allows anything moving, such as cars or people, to be tracked. Previously, radar needed massive fixed equipment to work and transmissions from mobile phone masts were thought too weak to be useful.
The system works wherever a mobile phone can pick up a signal. By using receivers attached to mobile phone masts, users of the new technology could focus in on areas hundreds of miles away and bring up a display showing any moving vehicles and people. An individual with one type of receiver, a portable unit little bigger than a laptop computer, could even use it as a 'personal radar' covering the area around the user. Researchers are working to give the new equipment 'X-ray vision' - the capability to 'see' through walls and look into people's homes. Ministry of Defence officials are hoping to introduce the system as soon as resources allow. Police and security services are known to be interested in a variety of possible surveillance applications. The researchers themselves say the system, known as Celldar, is aimed at anti-terrorism defence, security and road traffic management.
However civil liberties groups have been swift to condemn the plan.
'It's an appalling idea,' said Simon Davies, director of Privacy International. 'The Government is just capitalising on current public fears over security to intoduce new systems that are neither desirable nor necessary.' The system, used alongside technology which allows individuals to be identified by their mobile phone handsets, will mewan that individuals can be located and their movements watched on a screen from hundreds of miles away. Prototypes have been effective over 50 to 100 metres but the developers are confident that range can be extended.
After a series of meetings with Roke Manor, a private research company in Romsey, Hants, MoD officials have started funding the multi-million pound project. Reports of the meetings are 'classified'. Whitehall officials involved in radar confirmed that the MoD was 'very interested' last week. 'It's all about resources now,' said one. Private security specialists have also welcomed the new technology.
'It will be enormously useful,' the director of one private security firm said. 'Instead of setting up expensive and cumbersome surveillance equipment, police or the security services could start work quickly and easily almost anywhere. 'For tracking a suspect, preventing a potential crime or a terrorist strike or simply locating people [the system] has enormous advantages.' It is likely that the technology would be used at first to protect sensitive installations such as ports and airfields. The perimeter of a nuclear power station or an RAF base could be watched without having a bank of CCTV screens and dozens of expensive cameras. If the radar picked up movement then a single camera could be focused on a specific area. Celldar could also monitor roads when poor visibility due to bad weather rendered cameras useless. 'The equipment could pick up traffic flows towards an accident site and the details of a crash; who is where and so on,' said Peter Lloyd of Roke Manor. Lloyd also outlined a number of military applications for the technology. Individual armoured vehicles or even soldiers could carry the detectors which could tell them where enemy troops were. Security specialists point out how useful personal radars would be in siege situations. However there are significant concerns that the technology might be abused by authorities or fall into the wrong hands.
'Like all instrusive surveillance, we need to be sure that it is properly regulated, preferably by the judiciary,' said Roger Bingham of Liberty.
Bingham expressed concerns that the new equipment, which would be virtually undetectable, could be used by private detectives or others for personal or commercial gain. Modern technology has brought massive opportunities for wider surveillance. Since the 11 September terrorist attacks on Washington and New York, the government has been pushing through a package of anti-terrorism legislation which targets electronic communications. Senior police officers are now allowed to access mobile telephone and email records without judicial or executive assent. Within two years, all mobile phones are expected to have satellite-locating devices built into them.
Mobilfunk revolutioniert Radartechnologie