Integrated SAR and LiDAR Change Detection Techniques for Small Object Detection

Different sensor modalities have different strengths and weaknesses for a given application. For example, low frequency synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) have been suggested for detecting improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Low frequency SAR allows for fast wide area search as well as ground penetration; however, does not provide fine resolution. LiDAR provides excellent resolution but is not suited for quick wide area search or ground penetration. Since IED detection requires fast search, ground penetration, and fine resolution, combining low frequency SAR and LiDAR is a natural choice. In this effort we examine combining the two sensor modalities for IED detection. In particular we examine how low frequency SAR can quickly provide regions of interest (ROIs) that are further examined using the fine resolution of LiDAR. In addition, the system uses existing surveillance data (SAR and/or LiDAR) allowing for the use of change detection, thus reducing false alarms. BENEFIT: This research shows the effectiveness of low frequency SAR, LiDAR, and change detection for the IED detection problem. It also shows the added benefit (i.e. increased sensitivity for a given false alarm rate) for combining any or all of the technologies thereby allowing for a cost/benefit analysis for developing a system using various combinations of sensors and technologies.