Seismic Perimeter Monitoring System

Maintenance of a secure perimeter around military camps is a significant problem. Visual surveillance and electronic imaging currently serve as the primary surveillance modalities. However, in using these methods, it is often extremely difficult to detect insurgents making effective use of stealth and camouflage. Seismic sensors offer an attractive alternative as they have been shown to be effective at detecting pedestrians in many circumstances and can be buried to provide hidden, unattended surveillance. However, the performance of existing seismic sensor systems is often limited by ambient noise and uncertain detection of distant footsteps. The goal of this program is development of a novel seismic monitoring system that overcomes the limitations of existing systems through the use of an innovative system architecture and data processing algorithms. During Phase I, we demonstrated that our system overcomes the limitations of existing systems while adding new functionality designed to allow seismic monitoring to be employed in a broader range of operational scenarios. During Phase II, we will build, test, and deliver a field deployable seismic perimeter monitoring system to the Army.