Bulgaria is located on the trade route between Asia and the European Union (EU), and its land crossing points situated along its south-east border with Turkey are some of the busiest of the EU. Illicit trade at these points of entry takes many forms, including the smuggling of drugs, weapons, counterfeit and dangerous goods, as well as migrants. To enhance its capacity to monitor the movement of shipments and inspect cargo, Bulgaria Customs is investing heavily in various information management systems, as well as in machine learning to automate the analysis of the huge amount of data they collect and store. These systems are described in this article.
Bulgarian Integrated X-ray Information System
Bulgaria has decreed that all cargo passing through the border should undergo X-ray control. With this in mind, Bulgaria Customs has launched the Bulgarian Integrated X-ray Information System (BIRIS). All data generated by Non-intrusive inspection (NII) equipment will be stored centrally and analysed by image analysts based in the risk management centre. To begin with, only new NII equipment will be integrated into the system, with older scanners being connected progressively at a later stage. The administration is also working with an external company to develop automatic threat-recognition tools leveraging machine learning to support analysts. The project targets commodities representing the biggest threats, namely weapons, drugs, cigarettes, people and cash.
BIRIS will be integrated into the other information systems managed by the administration as well as into monitoring devices such weighbridges, video cameras capturing vehicle registration numbers, and video surveillance cameras.
Centralized Video Surveillance and Control System
Video cameras have been installed at all border posts, remote Customs offices and Customs warehouses. All data generated by these devices are stored in a video data centre and managed via a Centralized Video Surveillance and Control System. Data analysis is carried out automatically using machine learning algorithms.
The system is a key component of the “single integrated information system for the control of means of transport in real time”, which identifies deviations in itineraries declared by economic operators and automatically send alerts if there are any abnormalities.
Traffic Management System (TMS)
The Traffic Management System (TMS) will integrate data from the Centralized Video Surveillance and Control System, as well as data generated from road traffic management systems. Based on the analysis performed by the risk management system, the TMS will generate the list of necessary checks to be conducted on a shipment and send it to the inspection officers.
Queue Management System (QMS)
Bulgaria Customs is also developing a Queue Management System (QMS) for freight vehicles exiting the country. The QMS will enable transport companies to book a time slot for crossing the border. It is expected to eliminate peak hours and the long queues of trucks waiting to pass through border crossing points.
Integrated Border Management System
Another system is being developed to reduce waiting times by rerouting vehicles and improving coordination between border services during controls. Customs, border Police and Bulgaria’s food safety agency are involved in the project, which is expected to greatly enhance inter-agency cooperation and coordination on the ground.
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Milena Kirova
