From the Editor-in-Chief

While I recuperate from an automobile accident that left me bruised and banged up, I find myself extra concerned with safety. Although I am mostly concerned with road safety at the moment, safety on the high seas and in the sky, come to mind as I look over this June Issue of SYSTEMS magazine. In this issue of SYSTEMS, we have two articles, the first and the last, discussing different aspects of safety. The first article, from authors in Italy, evaluates using digital beamforming to enhance performance of a space-based system for detecting transponder signals in maritime zones out of range of shore-based receivers. The last article, from authors in Italy and the United States, reports the results of testing a mission planning system designed to improve surveillance effectiveness and allocation of surveillance assets on the high seas in an effort to counter piracy. Pirate activity is definitely a safety and economic, as well as, a law enforcement concern.