Water Effects Correction Software (WECS)

Infrared (IR) target scenes can suffer distortion from atmospheric species present along the atmospheric paths through which the signals are propagated, causing errors in derived target characteristics (e.g., position, velocity, angle). The main contributor to these errors is refraction of the signals by water, in its various forms (e.g., vapor, cloud, air-ice mix) along the path. Turbulence phenomena and dynamic climate conditions change the parameters (water density, temperature, pressure) that affect refraction. It is important to correct for these distorting effects in order to accurately determine the position, velocity and angle of target objects in the scene. SSI, in collaboration with CG2, Inc., will complete the development and validation of the Water Effects Correction Software (WECS). The software, customized to accurately model the distorting effects of water on IR scenes, will aid target location and tracking by correcting for the distortion effects. Given accurate descriptions of water conditions from weather databases, the software will obtain true target location from its apparent position. The algorithms will be accelerated to support real time sensor performance capability. Approved for Public Release 14-MDA-7903 (2 July 14)