Geocasting-based almanac synchronization method for secure maritime cloud

Abstract

A number of recent maritime accidents strongly imply the need of distributed smart surveillance. The maritime cloud, proposed as communications infrastructure of e-Navigation, is one of the most optimal infrastructure systems in the smart surveillance environment. To maintain the safe maritime environment, security in the distributed smart surveillance environment is critical, but research on security of the maritime cloud, which will be adopted as major communications infrastructure in the smart surveillance system, is still in the fledging stage. In this regard, this paper suggested a safe synchronization method of Almanac, which is necessary to provide unimpeded maritime cloud service. Almanac plays a role of a telephone directory and it should be shared in the latest version in communicating between vessels or a vessel and land. In other words, synchronization of Almanac between offshore and vessels is required to safely deliver major video information collected by the distributed smart camera. The method proposed in this paper enables geocasting based synchronization between vessels, which is suitable for maritime conditions, and does not expose information in the course of synchronization even in the case of broadcasting through an unsafe channel. In addition, the method ensures integrity based on block ID and supports delta update, thereby minimizing bandwidth and boosting performance.