Critical Data Processing for Chemical Warfare Simulant Field Testing – Advanced Data Fusion

In this Phase II SBIR project for the Army CBD, Torch Technologies of Huntsville, AL, will develop and demonstrate a fully operational prototype of its Advanced Chemical Release Evaluation System for fusing measurements of the concentration of clouds resulting from chemical releases. The ability to evaluate the performance of a stand-off detector during development depends on the ability to accurately characterize the parameters of the test cloud under observation. In an operational scenario, the ability of a warning system to estimate the threat posed by the intentional or inadvertent release of toxic chemicals is limited by the accuracy of the initial cloud estimate. There are sensors capable of measuring cloud parameters but they provide heterogeneous measurements and the means to combine these measurements into a single, integrated estimate of cloud parameters do not exist. Improved methods are needed that can fuse the sensor data to provide more accurate estimates. The ACRES system will employ novel methods and all of the available data for making its estimates and in doing so will achieve the best performance that is theoretically possible. A demonstration will be offered at a place of the government’s choosing.