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2 May 2023

NATGRID developing centralised data platform using AI, OSINT for real time action against criminals

DALIP SINGH

In a major push towards harnessing data for national security, the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) is in the process of integrating data analytics, open source intelligence (OSINT) tool and web-based applications to offer a 360 degree solution for intelligence and law enforcement to authorised central and State agencies.

As part of the phase 2 of the development of NATGRID solution which is a state-of-the-art and innovative information technology platform, the data analytics software will use entity, face and speech resolution applications for profiling, government sources stated.

NATGRID also intends to hyphenate OSINT tool and web-based applications to capture full-circle description which would give a larger picture about entity and issues with the help of human intelligence, government sources elaborated.

Digitised infrastructure

The OSINT tool, government sources explained, has to be incubated will have the potential to extract entities, relationships and other linked written, audio and video information for summarising into a report. The proposed digitised infrastructure will also have inbuilt feature of popping up suspicious transaction — a feature Financial Intelligence Unit enjoys to track dubious money circulation.

Other than that, the NATGRID is also integrating telecom companies, Election Commission of India (ECI) and airlines to its digital infrastructure to offer real time access of critical information to authorised Central and State agencies.

Once these connectivity is established, the NATGRID will be able to offer complete and comprehensive real time data about an entity or issue to about 39 Central and State agencies. PAN records, bank facilities including credit card records, passports, Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), company details, railways cargo, immigration, vehicle registration and National Population Register (NPR) data are already available to Central and State agencies on a click of mouse, informed government sources.
Challenges

It is learnt the centralised database access solution NATGRID is offering is facing challenges like lack of standardisation of data structure which requires re-indexing of time consuming voluminous digitised information.

An authorised government customer can access data by logging into a NATGRID mentained portal. Citing examples of its effective use, government sources said agencies have been able to expose drug racket by getting timely information about pushers from the digital platform.

The data infrastructure has adequate safeguards to avoid breach, stressed government sources. Like, the access to the portal can happen only after proper authorisation and authentication and it’s end-to-end encrypted, they pointed out.

The Union home ministry is regularly following up to get an update on the national database that is part of Police Technology Mission — a key project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In that effort to build a comprehensive national security architecture, a cloud for national security is not a far fetched idea, observed government officials.

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