Spatial and Temporal Variance in the Thermal Response of Buried Objects

Abstract

Probability of detection and false alarm rates for current military sensor systems used for detecting buried objects are often unacceptable. One approach to increasing sensor performance and detection reliability is to better understand which physical processes are dominant under certain environmental conditions. Incorporating this understanding into detection algorithms will improve detection performance. Our approach involved studying a small, 3.05 3.05 m, test plot at the Engineer Research and Development Centers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (ERDC-CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire. There we monitored a number of environmental variables (soil temperature moisture, and chemistry as well as air temperature and humidity, cloud cover, and incoming solar radiation) coupled with thermal infrared and electro-optical image collection. Data collection occurred over 4 months with measurements made at 15 minute intervals. Initial findings show that significant spatial and thermal temporal variability is caused by incoming solar radiation; meteorologically driven surface heat exchange; and subsurface-soil temperatures, density, moisture content, and surface roughness.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 13, 2020
Accession Number
AD1106085

Entities

People

  • A. M. Wagner
  • Andrew P. Bernier
  • B. F. Morriss
  • Bonnie J. Jones
  • Brandon K. Booker
  • Charles E. Smith
  • Christopher R. Williams
  • Jason R. Dorvee
  • Jay Clausen
  • Keran J. Claffey
  • Michele L. Maxson
  • Rosa T. Affleck
  • Stephen D. Newman
  • Susan Frankenstein
  • Terrance M. Sobecki

Organizations

  • Engineer Research and Development Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Temperature
  • Chemistry
  • Cloud Cover
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Energy
  • Engineering
  • False Alarms
  • Heat Transfer
  • Infrared Detectors
  • Measurement
  • Meteorology
  • Solar Radiation
  • Surface Roughness
  • Target Recognition
  • Warning Systems
  • Weather Stations

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Image Processing and Computer Vision.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.