Multispectral/Hyperspectral Imaging System for Small Boat Detection under Wake Clusters

Detection, classification/recognition, and tracking surface vessels on water is very challenging for many reasons. Haze, marine layer, and/or other particulates can attenuate signal and create path background radiance, all of which reduce the contrast of the target against the background. The intensity and spatial frequencies of the background often mimic the surface vessel making acquisition and tracking of the target difficult. As stated in the solicitation, water wakes from fast moving boats such as the Fast Attack Craft (FAC) can produce wakes that have similar signatures or partially obscure the target.     Polaris Sensor Technology proposes to design in Phase I and develop in Phase II a Visible/NIR, SWIR, MWIR, LWIR imaging polarimeter with 15 to 3 degree zoom capability. Polarization has been shown to increase contrast and reject background noise in multiple wavebands. Polaris will combine multi-spectral sensing, polarimetry and advanced image processing algorithms to develop robust acquisition, tracking, and classification capability in a single sensor.