Improved Real Time Geo-Registration Techniques For Airborne Imagery

ABSTRACT:Toyon Research Corporation proposes research and development of advanced algorithms and real-time software to provide significant improvements in geo-registration for wide area motion imagery (WAMI) systems such as ARGUS-IS, Gorgon Stare, and Blue Devil. The proposed algorithms perform joint processing of information extracted from the WAMI imagery and information extracted from typical navigation sensors, such as GPS and IMU devices. In Phase II, integration with a WAMI sensor in an Air Force sensor integration lab is proposed. The software prototype developed in Phase II will provide real-time processing of WAMI imagery using a combination of central processing unit and graphics processing unit hardware. Integrated performance demonstration and accuracy evaluation are also proposed.BENEFIT:The successful completion of this research and development will result in improved capabilities for correlating, fusing, and exploiting multi-sensor EO/IR ISR imagery in a layered sensing framework. Significant benefits are expected in military applications where coordination among multiple airborne and ground assets is necessary and real-time performance is critical. In particular, this technology addresses the mismatch in precision between guided weapons and the target location systems used to select targets. Although the military is the primary customer with a need for precise location information from mobile sensors, smaller scale operations would be able to use these capabilities along borders, near ports, or along the coastline to monitor for illegal or terrorist activities. Potential commercial applications include police and homeland security applications. Geo-registration is also fundamental to commercial augmented reality applications.