Wide Area Unresolved Target Detection and Tracking

Evolving threats of modern warfare have placed new demands on the development and delivery of robust intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) solutions. As such, recent development has focused on sensor systems that provide wide field of view persistent surveillance (WFVPS) technologies. Areté Associates proposes to leverage its demonstrated expertise in real-time, physics-based image processing and statistical approach to faint target tracking to develop a suite of automatic algorithms designed to improve detection and tracking of low contrast, pixel size targets in multi-frame nighttime infrared imagery. Central to our proposed solution is the application of a unique Bayesian field approach to faint target detection and tracking. BENEFIT: A successful phase I/II will allow Areté to develop advanced software libraries that can be tailored to a variety of sensor systems for enhanced detection and tracking missions. Several current and future ISR&T systems could be enhanced by Areté algorithms such as ARGUS-IR and Tailwind are current DoD programs that desire beyond state of the art detection and tracking. Homeland Security and local law enforcement would greatly benefit from a wide area day/night sensor that can detect dismounts in difficult environmental and cultural conditions. The Department of Homeland Security could use the algorithms developed here to enhance the nation’s saftey by detecting illegal border crossings over large areas.