Object Avoidance Tactical Decision Aid (OATDA)

In Phase II Daniel H. Wagner Associates, Inc. will develop a full-scale prototype Object Avoidance Tactical Decision Aid (OATDA) that processes all available DD(X) mine avoidance data, dynamically generates a Fused Mine Tactical Picture (FMTP) for the DD(X) Combat System, generates optimal rates to minimize ship vulnerability, and fuses on-board and off-board environmental data. A key capability provided by OATDA will be the ability to fuse data obtained by off-board systems (e.g., Route Surveys, the AN/WLD-1 Remote Minehunting System (RMS), Long-Term Mine Reconnaissance System (LMRS), dedicated MCM systems, other ship’s mine detection systems) with ownship data in real-time. As shown in our Phase I work, the ability to utilize non-ownship data significantly improves the ability of the ship to maneuver around potentially threatening objects and dramatically reduces the number of false alarms. The primary algorithmic techniques that will be utilized in OATDA are non-Gaussian and multiple hypothesis data registration and fusion, non-Gaussian optimization, and Bayesian inferential reasoning.