Optimal Detection of Buried Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) in Clutter

There is a demonstrated need for improved detection of improvised explosive devices in the modern battlefield. Thermal detection of disturbed soils associated with IED burial offers a robust signature, but the signature strength in the presence of natural clutter (including effects due to topography and meteorology) is difficult to predict. Additionally, relatively little empirical data is available on the thermal properties of disturbed soils that can be used to parameterize models. The work proposed here by Areté Associates and David Paige meets those challenges by way of a rigorous 3-D thermal model validated and parameterized with new field experimental data on the thermal behavior of disturbed soils. The resulting model serves as the centerpiece for the development and demonstration of an innovative and rigorous tactical decision aid to direct the optimal thermal detection of buried IEDs.