Sensor Suite and Signal Processing for a Southern Border Surveillance System

Vista Research will develop and demonstrate the feasibility of an automated, integrated, and real-time sensor suite and a highly innovative approach to signal processing for a Southern Border surveillance system. Sophisticated algorithms enable the use of low-cost, COTS and GOTS sensors by shifting the surveillance burden from sensors to IBM CELL supercomputing technology. Our specific surveillance system uses tower-mounted, low-cost Radars and visible EO and LWIR sensors for automated, real-time, 360-degree, 24-h coverage. The wide area radar surveillance system will detect and track people and vehicles automatically at distances up to 12 km from the border and cue EO/IR sensors for high-resolution classification at distances up to 3 km. Vista¿s automated, real-time, Radar tracking algorithms provide powerful discrimination against false alarms, and enable effective operations in inclement weather. EO/IR sensors, which allow day/night operations, are automated and integrated with the radar, and enable stand-alone surveillance detection, tracking, and classification. Real-time, streaming LWIR and color images are presented to an operator for each suspected illegal person or vehicle for confirmation before deploying resources to an apprehension point. A low-cost tracker UAV can be launched to confirm classification and support apprehension.