Ocean Color Satellite Derived Products in Support of Diver and Special Forces Operations During OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM
Abstract
As missions for Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) units and Special Operations Forces (SOF) move closer into coastal and even "riverine" areas, there is an increased requirement for information on water clarity. This water clarity is important from the standpoint of detecting mines and minelike objects (MLO) on the bottom, in the water column, or attached to the hull of a vessel. It is also important for insersion of an EOD or SOF divers into harbors and hostile areas undetected for demining operations. In addition, as missions move at a more demanding pace, environmental intelligence is critical in determining when and where operations are most likely to be successfull. Environmental information is now demanded on the order of minutes to hours and not days to weeks. The reality of dealing with variable environmental conditions was no where more apparent than during OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF). During OIF there were several missions that relied on the timely delivery of water clarity information. Here we present how ocean color imagery was utilized to support EOD and SOF operations during OIF and how algorithms developed within one week were used for active operations. We also show the integration of current data into the products that allowed the warfighter to evaluate several key environmental factors.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA430177
Entities
People
- A. Weidemann
- R. Arnone
- R. Gould
- R. Parsons
- S. Ladner
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory