Simulating Detection System Output Data for the Development of Decision Support Systems

"Accurately simulating sensor data is necessary to develop meaningful and effective decision support systems. This process requires the inclusion of all phenomena that significantly influence the data after propagation through the detection chain. Phase Ideveloped a prototype framework, methodology and simulation environment for propagating noise and uncertainty through components of a general detection system. This Phase II proposal develops a generalized architecture, framework, and methodology, usingChemical and Biological (CB) detection as the example problem domain. This proposal enhances the fidelity of the simulated data reported to decision support systems by improving and extending the simulation environment's support of atmospheric models,infrared standoff CB detector models, uncertainty measures, model performance metrics, and time-synchronization and nesting of simulations within an integrated software and hardware framework. This framework provides distributed access to various forms ofdata and associated models. Proposed enhancement options are: developing a novel scene generator that will generate realistic inputs to active standoff detectors and simulations; and developing a test system, based on the scene generator, to test andevaluate these detection systems. This research will produce an overarching software and hardware framework that supports decision support system development and the full life cycle of de