The project has the name The Barents Sea on screen, and enables Norwegian authorities to get a real-time situation picture from the area. Foreign Minister Støre says to broadcaster NRK that the system is civilian, and not military, and that climate, environment and shipping is the main focus. -We will have the possibility to follow the development and see what is happening, so that we can react if an accident or other incidents take place, Minister Støre says. He underlines that the area is environmentally vulnerable and that a short-response time is vital. He maintains that information about the area today is too fragmented and that the new system will help coordinate data. Several experts do however believe that the new system will trigger reactions from Russia. Researcher Julia Wilhelmsen from the Norwegian Institute of International Relations (NUPI) says to NRK that the system even might mark the start of a new and more realistic approach towards the region. The technology is expected to cost several hundred million Norwegian kroner. The Sintef research institute is project leader.
