Comprehensive Surf Zone Modeling Tool

The objective of this project is to advance the capabilities of the Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA) system by creating a Surf Zone Modelling Tool (SZT) that can create realistic synthetic imagery of the surf zone (SZ). Through the use of this synthetic imagery the COBRA Program will be enabled to inform concept of operations (CONOPS) in unfamiliar environments as well as model system performance in those environments. During Phase I of this project, Areté and RIT created the baseline end-to-end physics based Surf Zone simulation Tool. This has been accomplished by utilizing first principle models, scene rendering via Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Generation (DIRSIG), and statistical models via Property Parameterizations. A first pass validation of imagery from DIRSIG shows that the simulation tool is accurately capturing the pertinent phenomenology related to COBRA detection, clutter, and false alarms. This includes in-water attenuation and scattering, wave propagation and breaking, whitecap formation and dissipation, and bottom reflectance of wet and dry surfaces. In Phase II, Areté and RIT will enhance the fidelity of the surf zone simulation through an iterative process between data-simulation validations and incorporating new features found to be necessary. By the completion of the Phase II Base an end-to-end simulation capability will exist that captures all important aspects of COBRA imagery (e.g. whitecaps, bubble plumes, entrained sediment, water clarity, in-water mine dynamics, bottom reflectance, bathymetry and wave propagations under various sea conditions). The simulation should agree well with actual data both in terms of its false alarm characteristics as well as mine detection performance. In the Phase II Option we will use the completed simulation tool to create a sizable synthetic database of simulated imagery comprised both of simulated targets inserted into real imagery as well as fully synthetic scenes. Special attention will be given to generating data for operationally relevant scenarios where little real data exists. Finally, the simulation tool will be extended to include lidar so that data from both passive and active electro-optic systems can be generated.