Federation sensor network (FSN)

            During the early years of the federation, the various sensor stations that were used for routine traffic monitoring and astronomy purposes were turned to observing federation space when no current tasks occupied them; this became a very efficient method. The federation is littered with sensors of all types, some on a planet’s surface, others on ships and sensor platforms, but individually they can only monitor a small region of space, but by commanding them using supra-light communications an active sensor network can be constructed, which pulls together a real time surveillance of federation space. As the federation grew over time, a new policy of introducing dedicated sensor stations to improve this surveillance, which led to the next evolution of an active sensor network, the FSN.

The concept of a real time monitoring network was conceived in the earliest parts of federation history, all of the component races in the federation already developed local system for their own systems early in their spaceflight age, the Federation was to take this concept and use it across new scales, to monitor whole star systems, and to watch whole groups of star systems.

The Trenoc first began the deployment of the sensors after their contact with the Pholi, about 1910, these first sensor platforms were to watch the their home system and near by systems including the Panatrak home system which a few years later they would contact. They also extended sensor coverage over the Corten system, which was the only known Pholi colony world at the time. These early sensor platforms were relatively crude by modern standards and they have long since been replaced, but they were the foundation for the federation sensor network. Soon, when the federation was first established that is the union between the Trenoc, Pholi and Panatrak, these sensor systems extended beyond the systems closest to the race’s homeworlds, sensor netoworks were erected in the Galen and Human system much before contact.

The structure of federation space also determines how the sensor platforms are laid out, in true federation space, that is the space behind the inner frontier every system has a constellation of monitoring platforms, whether or not there are any inhabited worlds in it. This affords the centre of the federation with near total sensor coverage. In addition to the dedicated sensor platforms, passing craft also feed in their sensor telemetry in real time, this enables new viewpoints to be used, and makes the system much more dynamic.

Beyond the federation’s inner frontier dedicated sensor platforms are also erected though these tail off as the distance from the inner frontier increases, progressively more of the sensor coverage is fulfilled by patrolling craft.

The FSN system proves so strong as dedicated sensors do not have to be created for its function, it  can take advantage of any useful instrument which is connected to the federation’s communication network, though system also takes advantage of the expanding number of monitoring platforms deployed through federation systems.

The sensor network provides much more than security monitoring of federation space it also supervises traffic, and provides hazard warnings. The system also provides a safety measure, if a spacecraft crashes and its beacon does not work, the sensor system can locate the craft’s position, and any message they are trying to send.

The near absolute coverage of all objects in federation space also provides a unique and invaluable tool for scientists who can use the network to monitor how objects behave over time, for example to warn of cometary in fall, or to provide uninterrupted coverage of a star’s activity for scientific research.