The OPtimal Turbulence Effects Correction System (OPTEC) for Enhanced Long-Range Tactical Imaging

Atmospheric effects, such as those due to turbulence, severely degrade the performance of long-range imaging systems. As sensor costs continue to drop and spatial resolution continues to increase, future imaging systems will be severely limited by these atmospheric effects, not the limits of resolution defined by the sensor. Therefore, there is currently a great need to develop advanced image restoration algorithms in order to support the US Army's present and future imaging needs. To bridge this technology gap, Argos Intelligence has developed the OPtimal Turbulence Effects Correction System (OPTEC), a low-cost and innovative image restoration processor for restoring atmospherically degraded video imagery in real-time. OPTEC leverages the computational power of state-of-the-art parallel processing and builds on established image processing algorithms for real-time turbulence mitigation and image stabilization. In the Phase I Argos Intelligence built and demonstrated the OPTEC system on real data for the sponsor at the U. S. Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, MD. In the Phase II Argos Intelligence proposes to mature OPTEC and address the primary issues for its commercialization. This program will result in a complete system for restoring atmospherically-degraded video in real-time for applications ranging from stationary surveillance sensors to mobile ground-based and airborne systems.