FIRST LOOK Prototype Multi-Sensor Fusion and Visualization System for Ship Self Defense (Massively Parallel Processing for Ship Self Defense)

The goal of this research is to define, design, and develop a prototype Multi-Sensor Fusion and Visualization System for ship self defense, called FIRST LOOK, which promises significant expansion of the range and effectiveness of today's ship sensors and weapons. The main principles involved are (1) that complex, multi-hypothesis data fusion can be made to support tactical data fusion at high data rates, without ever introducing delays and (2) that robust simulations of high-interest, but infrequently observed targets can be used to develop real-time visualizations to dramatically improve the performance of surveillance sensors. In our Phase I research, we will document a system design approach and demonstrate the basic concepts using existing software and models. This system design approach is based on a massively-parallel processor implementation to minimize processing delays and maximize the realism of visualization displays.