Passive Acquisition, Tracking, and Handoff of Ground Moving Target Indication (PATH)

The Passive Acquisition, Tracking, and Handoff of Ground Moving Target Indication (PATH-GMTI, or PATH) system pushes the combat capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) forward from their traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance role to a more active role on the battlefield. PATH builds on existing 21st Century Technologies work to provide real-time 3D ground target tracks fully localized in a 3D model of the combat environment. PATH identifies and tracks regions of low stereo match correspondence in our passive electro-optical 3D modeling system, and identifies regions of interest (ROIs) in real-world 3D GPS coordinates. These ROIs can be caused by occlusion boundaries, imagery artifacts, or moving objects. PATH has all the information needed to easily distinguish between ROIs caused by moving objects and non-targets. Tracking in three dimensions gives PATH unique features over which to classify these ROIs, and also an improved capability to split and merge track segments. PATH increases the utility of UAVs on the modern battlefield. Ultimately, the new UAV capabilities enabled by PATH will reduce risks to American soldiers' lives and increase the effectiveness of the United States Air Force and other armed services in achieving and maintaining operational dominance on the modern battlefield.