Low Cost Whale Detection and Monitoring with Radar/Optics

Current ASW testing is often limited by the presence of marine mammals on ASW test ranges. The solicitation suggests the development of a radar system and associated algorithms to detect breaching whales in various sea states. The detection would then be handed off to an EO system for verification, classification, etc. The RADAR system must be able to discriminate the marine mammal blow or breach from open ocean breaking waves. The EO system, once queued must be able to reacquire the animal for verification and classification. This proposal suggests using an EO system that would not only be used as a verification/classification system but would also be used to detect non breaching submerged marine mammals in all sea states as well as breaching animals in high sea states. This EO system is combined with a modified COTS radar system which uses a single transmitter and two receivers. We suggest exploiting the phase difference between the two receivers to discriminate blows from open ocean breaking waves.