Turbulence degradation and mitigation performance for handheld weapon ID

Richard L. Espinola; Sameer Aghera; Roger Thompson; Jason Miller

doi:10.1117/12.919874

18 May 2012 Turbulence degradation and mitigation performance for handheld weapon ID

Richard L. Espinola, Sameer Aghera, Roger Thompson, Jason Miller

Proceedings Volume 8355, Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XXIII; 83550S (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.919874
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2012, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Abstract

Atmospheric turbulence can severely limit the range performance of state-of-the-art large aperture imaging sensor systems, specifically those intended for long range ground to ground target identification. Simple and cost-effective mitigation solutions which operate in real-time are desired. Software-based post-processing techniques are attractive as they lend themselves to easy implementation and integration into the back-end of existing sensor systems. Recently, various post-processing algorithms to mitigate turbulence have been developed and implemented in real-time hardware. To determine their utility in Army-relevant tactical scenarios, an assessment of the impact of the post processing on observer performance is required. In this paper, we test a set of representative turbulence mitigation algorithms on field collected data of human targets carrying various handheld objects in varying turbulence conditions. We use a controlled human perception test to assess handheld weapon identification performance before and after turbulence mitigation post-processing. In addition, novel image analysis tools are implemented to estimate turbulence strength from the scene. Results of this assessment will lead to recommendations on cost-effective turbulence mitigation strategies suitable for future sensor systems.

Citation Download Citation

Richard L. Espinola, Sameer Aghera, Roger Thompson, and Jason Miller "Turbulence degradation and mitigation performance for handheld weapon ID", Proc. SPIE 8355, Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XXIII, 83550S (18 May 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.919874

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