SATELLITE IMAGERY TRANSMISSION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Efficient transmission in limited satellite bandwidth of imagery from near real-time reconnaissance is key to satisfying requirements for timely information. Standard compression may introduce degradations which significantly reduce the usefulness of imagery and communications errors may further degrade utility. Innovative methods for representing and processing imagery prior to transmission via satellite and for reconstructing the imagery at the receiving site are needed to satisfy user requirements. Princeton Electronic Systems (PES) with support from the David Sarnoff Research Center, will investigate advanced technologies for Navy satellite applications. System performance studies, supported by image quality simulations utilizing existing software models, will be performed. High level requirements, comparison of performance, and recommendations for further research and development (Phase II) will be produced. The Sarnoff-developed wavelet compression will be the foundation for the study. Companion technologies, e.g., reliable imagery transport protocols, progressive transimission, and variable rate compression will also be evaluated. The team of PES and Sarnoff have outstanding capabilities to address this problem. Both Sarnoff and PES have experience in military systems. Sarnoff has been extremely successful in developing compression technologies for commerical application. This team will leverage prior experience and complementary expertises to provide high performance, cost effective solutions.