Automated Ship and Small Craft Classification Tools for ISAR Imagery

A program is proposed that leverages studies examining automated data extraction for ISAR imagery conducted by Global Delta LLC as part of the Maritime Identification and Surveillance Technology (MIST) radar project. The proposed research could enable a radar system to automatically adapt its waveforms and operating characteristics to provide maximum information characterizing a large and small sea traffic contacts with information automatically extracted from ISAR imagery. Global Delta has investigated new interactive radar front end and processing techniques that enable a radar system to automatically measure and discriminate various target characteristics such as target specific invariant dimensional parameters while simultaneously discriminating and specifying the location of rotating objects/antennae that are located associated with the radar contact. The emerging high resolution radar system and real time signal exploitation technologies, when coupled with Global Delta’s proprietary “Image-while-Scan” technologies, can provide Naval Air, Surface and Expeditionary forces enabling new capabilities to automatically extract previously un-retrievable signal and information content from tactical high resolution ISAR returns to provide a ship and small craft classification.